


Current Location

by thefangirlingdead



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anal Sex, Catfish AU, Dirty Talk, Falling In Love, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M, Masturbation, Mutual Pining, Phone Sex, is that a thing?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-25
Updated: 2018-08-20
Packaged: 2018-09-12 00:20:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 49,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9047048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thefangirlingdead/pseuds/thefangirlingdead
Summary: Fresh out of an unsuccessful online relationship, Erwin accidentally finds romance with the real person behind the photos, a young photographer named Levi Ackerman, who happens to live on the other side of the country. (AKA, someone catfishes Erwin with Levi's photos and Erwin ends up falling for Levi)





	1. Current Location:

**Author's Note:**

> I've been really excited to share this fic, and I figured Christmas/Levi's birthday was as good of a time as ever! It was sort of inspired by watching way too many episodes of Catfish and wondering why this scenario hadn't happened yet. (I also felt like including my love for photography and music in this, sorry not sorry). This one is a lot more lighthearted than other stuff I've written and has been really fun so far, so I hope you enjoy! 
> 
> <3

It all starts with a simple Instagram notification. Erwin doesn’t frequently use the app or even post very often, and when he does, it’s usually something like a selfie, a photo of him with some friends, pictures of food, work events… You know, regular everyday photos that one would expect from a busy twenty-something publicist living in California. So when someone he _doesn’t_ know, and someone with a rather beautiful instagram feed follows him out of the blue one day, it piques Erwin’s interest.

He’d be lying if he said he didn’t scroll through the guy’s - _Nile_ was his name, as it said in his description - feed for a while, spurred onward by well composed photos of pretty scenery and the occasional stunning selfie. In fact, the self-portraits are what ultimately make Erwin hit the follow button back. Nile is this surly looking guy with black hair, a smooth undercut, sharp features, high cheekbones and bedroom eyes. His well composed self-portraits tell Erwin that much. Though he looks rather sulky in the majority of his photos, he proves to be pretty friendly when he eventually reaches out to Erwin, and Erwin is smitten almost immediately. It starts with one comment on one of his photos, which turns into a little flirting back and forth, which eventually leads to them exchanging phone numbers. Within a few weeks, Erwin begins to grow infatuated with the event planner from Texas, even though he himself lives all the way over in California.

His mother would probably be disappointed if she knew he met someone online, but it’s 2016, _damnit_ , and Nile is attractive and kind. Erwin likes him. Nile stays up late to chat on the phone, will send him texts in the morning and evening - and in between, whenever he can - and Erwin can’t say that he doesn’t like the attention and the casual flirting. With a job of his own that can be fairly hectic, he doesn’t get out to meet people very often, or when he does, they’re a musician or a potential client, not someone that Erwin should be romantically interested in.

However, a few months into their budding friendship - or relationship, or whatever it is they have - Erwin can’t help but notice a few things that he doesn’t particularly enjoy about Nile, as most people do when they begin spending time with another person. It’s only natural, right? He frequently works odd hours, telling Erwin that he’s helping a client get ready for an event last minute, that he’s busy for the rest of the week. He spends quite a bit of time traveling and can’t always talk, but when he does, it’s always sweet text messages, things like, _“Miss you <3” _ or _“Call you when I have a chance. Can’t wait to talk to you.”_

It’s little messages like that that reel Erwin back in even when he’s feeling frustrated or annoyed with the lack of communication. However, Erwin isn’t stupid. He takes note that he has never actually _seen_ Nile before. Sure, he’s seen plenty of _photos_ of him, and he has talked to him on the phone, but they’ve never video chatted, not even once. Whenever Erwin asks him to facetime, there’s always an excuse - he dropped his phone in the toilet, his camera isn’t working, he doesn’t have wifi, doesn’t have the time… When Erwin wants to skype, it’s always the same thing. It’s a pattern, and one that Erwin recognizes as a problem from watching one too many episodes of Catfish on his days off.

Nile doesn’t have a Facebook, either, insisting that he hates the social media platform, and that should be another red flag to Erwin, yet he still doesn’t stop talking to him. Maybe it’s because he can’t help but hope that things will work out with him, because he’s attractive and nice and seems to care about him, and it’s been a long time since Erwin has been in a relationship. And for a while, he can be okay with not being able to facetime or skype with Nile, as long as he’s telling the truth.

But things are rarely as easy as they seem, and after only a few months of talking back and forth, sending selfies from time to time, and talking on the phone when they can, things finally come to a head. It all starts with a simple instagram notification, but the story doesn’t _really_ begin until Erwin eventually discovers the truth and ends his relationship with Nile.

It’s one of those weeks where Nile is rather unavailable, busy working on a project with a new client, and Erwin is usually great at respecting Nile’s work and giving him space when he’s busy. So when Nile tells Erwin that he’ll be traveling all day, Erwin doesn’t expect to hear from him all day, nor does he expect the other man to have the time to post on Instagram, but apparently he does, because while Erwin is at lunch with Mike, his best friend and old roommate, he finds himself scrolling through his instagram feed before coming to a stop on a rather beautiful photo of one of his favorite places in Oregon. It isn’t the photo that makes him stop scrolling however, it’s who took it, and the apparent close proximity of that person.

The photo, a scene that Erwin has visited countless times with friends and family, was taken not far from where he lives, only a few hours drive, closer than Nile has ever been to Erwin before. Immediately, Erwin feels confused, but confusion quickly turns to frustration as he shows the photo to Mike, who tells him to ask Nile why he didn’t mention that he’d be nearby. So that’s exactly what Erwin does, and the text message he receives in response - almost immediately, he might add - only makes him more angry.

_“Still working. I’ll text you later.”_

He mentions nothing about his location, about the fact that he’s only a couple of hours away from Erwin, and yeah, maybe Erwin _shouldn’t_ be mad, maybe there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation, but he can’t help it. He has spent plenty of late nights on the phone with Nile, telling him that he’d love to come visit him, that if he ever ended up in the area, he would be the first to know. And Nile had said the same, but… But apparently, that isn’t the case.

By this point, Erwin has known for at least a few weeks that his best friend doesn’t approve of his friendship (or relationship?) with Nile, and normally, Erwin gets frustrated when Mike talks down about the man he has never met, but now, Erwin might just see what he means.

“He’s stringing you along,” Mike says in a no-nonsense tone. It’s as if he has known it for months, but hasn’t said it for fear of hurting Erwin’s feelings. But now that Erwin seems just as frustrated as he feels, he voices it. “He knows where you live yet didn’t tell you when he was nearby? That’s bullshit.”

Erwin sighs. The rest of his lunch sits unfinished on his plate. Suddenly, he doesn’t feel very hungry. “I’d like to think that maybe he was just too busy,” he says, “But his response has me feeling otherwise.”

Mike nods in agreement. “I hate to say it, but how do you even know that he is who he says he is? You’ve never even video chatted with the guy, Erwin.”

“What are you suggesting?” Erwin asks, looking up at Mike. His heart plummets before Mike even responds, though, as Erwin can assume what he means - that Nile isn’t the person he thinks he has been talking to… That he’s just as bad as those saps on reality TV shows that get tricked into a scam or an online relationship with someone who isn’t who they say they are. He should have known better.

“I don’t think he’s telling you the truth,” Mike answers honestly. If Erwin can count on Mike for anything, it’s his no-bullshit attitude. It’s one of the many reasons why they’ve been friends since middle school, but right now, the words sting.

Erwin sighs. He knows that Mike is right, but he doesn’t want to admit it. “Maybe he’s just lying about _where_ he is,” he offers.

“Is that better?” Mike counters in return.

And at that, Erwin can’t help but hang his head in defeat. He scrubs a hand through his hair, frustrated, and sighs again. “ _Fuck_.”

“I’m just saying,” Mike says around a bite of his sandwich, ever so eloquent, “Has he ever sent you a photo that looked candid? I get that all of his photos look great, but it almost seems too good to be true. They all look _too_ perfect.”

Part of Erwin, the part that tries to see the best in people - and the part that ultimately ends up getting him hurt - wants to argue that _maybe_ , Nile just wants to look good for him, but everything Mike says makes sense. It always does.

So, after lunch, the pair make their way back to Erwin’s apartment. Originally, they had planned on spending the day together, getting lunch then vegging out of Erwin's sofa and watching some movies or catching up on Game of Thrones, but instead, Erwin finds himself staring down at his laptop with Mike, doing something he should have done a long time ago.

Erwin isn't dumb. He knows he should have tried looking up Nile or at the very least, doing what he and Mike are now, reverse image searching one of his photos, but Erwin likes to see the best in people. He doesn't want to think that someone would lie to him about who they are. Besides, Nile never gave him a reason to be suspicious at first, and once he did, Erwin was already in too deep. But now here is is, a sinking feeling in his gut, dragging an image of Nile (or whoever Nile claims to be) into the search bar, and hitting enter.

To his dismay, the first selfie that Erwin searches, one of his most recent posts on Instagram, comes back with multiple results, and he can't help but sigh. The second he received the text back from Nile earlier that afternoon, he knew that something was fishy, but he was just hoping that it wasn’t as bad as it seemed. When _he_ doesn't immediately click on anything, Mike reaches over, batting his hand away from his laptop’s trackpad and does it for him. What a great friend.

The photo is linked to multiple different websites - photography blogs, articles, a handful of other Instagram accounts, and none of them are traceable back to Nile’s name. In fact, within the first few links, one name stands out and continues to come up as the photo credit as they search, and it certainly isn’t Nile.

_Levi Ackerman._

“Maybe he just _took_ the photo,” Erwin suggests, though he doesn't even believe the words that are coming out of his own mouth. It's just one last ditch effort. _Maybe_ , Nile is friends with some photographer named Levi. Maybe it’s all one big misunderstanding.

Mike shoots him a look at his words. “Then why don’t we find out,” he offers, highlighting and copying the name -

_Levi Ackerman_

\- all while Erwin hopes and prays that he’s just overreacting.

Mike pastes the name into the search bar and hits enter quickly. It’s like pulling off a bandaid, and immediately, multiple results pull up. The first thing that pops up in the google search is a Tumblr blog, the second being a website, both with titles reading _Levi Ackerman Photography._

“Wanna do the honors?” Mike asks, lifting his hand from the laptop, and as much as Erwin wants to just close it right then and there and chalk this up to one big misunderstanding, he sighs, reaching forward to click on the website, likely the more reliable of the two.

It takes a moment to load, and the wait is excruciating, but eventually, the front page reveals multiple photographs of beautiful landscapes and cityscapes full of stunning, vibrant colors and dramatic scenes. The photos are absolutely breathtaking, but Erwin doesn’t have the chance to admire them, because he’s too busy clicking through them, looking for something substantial, maybe a photo of the dark-haired, brooding man that Erwin has grown to know as Nile. Maybe there will be a caption with his name, and they can clear this up quickly. But as Erwin clicks through a few pages to find the artist’s portraits, all of which are of other men and women he has never seen, all beautiful, well composed and posed, none of them are the man from the photos. None of them are Nile.

Erwin feels a pit in his stomach, because he already knows what this means, but he doesn’t want to believe it.

Apparently, Mike just wants him to cut to the chase already, though. “Jesus Christ, Erwin,” he mutters, taking over and opting to click on the _about_ page - something that Erwin should have done right off the bat but was skirting around it. And there, clear as day, is a photo of Nile - or well, _Levi_ , as it turns out - looking off frame, over his shoulder. Erwin knows the photo well - it’s Nile’s photo in his phone. He feels a lump forming in his throat.

_“Levi Ackerman is a twenty-three year old Brooklyn-based portrait and landscape photographer. He is self-taught and-”_

“Stop,” Erwin says, pulling the laptop away from Mike and nearly slamming it shut. He feels sick, doesn’t want to hear anything else about _Levi_ , because he isn’t Nile. He can’t believe he has been so stupid, so blinded by the prospect of a romantic relationship. It was always too good to be true.

“ _Hey…_ ” Mike murmurs, immediately moving to comfort his friend. He places a gentle hand on his shoulder, “I’m really sorry man… I didn’t want this for you either.”

“I know,” Erwin mutters, shaking his head, “I’m just an idiot. I should’ve known better.”

“You had feelings for him,” Mike supplies, “It’s understandable. People do stupid things when emotions are involved.”

“ _I work in public relations_ ,” Erwin mutters, “I spend all day online, and I didn’t think to look him up?”

“Nobody wants to have to do that,” Mike assures, “It’s not your fault.”

“Yeah…” Erwin mutters, staring down at his phone. Months of talking, texting, promises to meet one another, to be together become meaningless in a matter of minutes. Everything he said to Nile, everything he confided in him, everything he promised… None of it means anything anymore. Although Erwin knows that he was attracted to more than just Niles “looks,” this is a dealbreaker, no questions asked. He could never see himself with someone who lied to him about who they are.

Minutes later, Erwin knows what he needs to do.

It begins with Nile, but things don’t really start to get interesting until after Erwin deletes and blocks his number, cutting him out of his life. Immediately, Erwin unfollows Nile on Instagram and Tumblr and doesn’t even bother sending him a text message explaining that he found out or googling his name to see what he _really_ looks like before he gets rid of every shred of evidence that he even existed, deleting all of the photos and text messages from his phone. Long after Mike has gone home, Erwin is left on his own, a few beers deep and a pizza box in front of him, effectively ignoring his phone, just in case Nile attempts to contact him any other way. The thought of being fooled by the other man makes him want to be sick, and what better way to drown his sorrows with cheap beer and shitty food?

A few hours after Mike leaves, Erwin finds himself sitting alone on his sofa, watching some stupid movie that he’s half paying attention to. Instead, Erwin keeps glancing at his laptop and going over the events of that afternoon in his head. Did Nile know this Levi Ackerman guy? What possessed him to steal and use his photos to talk to other men? What was so worth hiding and why did he decide to impersonate Levi to hide it? Should Erwin try googling Nile’s name, just to see what he might look like? Nile Dok can’t be that common of a name, _right_?

That is, unless he lied about that, too.

Erwin isn’t sure what possesses him to do so, but about halfway through a movie, he reaches forward, grabbing his laptop and opening it for the first time since Mike left that afternoon. As soon as it whirrs to life, _Levi Ackerman_ ’s website is the first thing that Erwin sees, and suddenly, all plans of searching for Nile go right out the window. Instead, Erwin remains on the photographer’s website, mindlessly scrolling through beautiful photo galleries and reading everything he can. He knows he shouldn’t, because this Levi guy has absolutely nothing to do with his current predicament, but Erwin reads the entirety of his _about_ page, learning that Levi is based out of Brooklyn, that he is self-taught and has been published by many renowned magazines, has had multiple images run in huge ad campaigns, some that Erwin has even unknowingly seen, and that he frequently travels for photo shoots.

Erwin continues to browse through Levi’s website, viewing nearly every single portfolio until finally clicking the _blog_ link, which brings him to the man’s tumblr. From there, Erwin scrolls for a while, spying a few images that he recognizes from the website and quite a few that he doesn’t, on top of a few text posts here and there, which he skims over in hopes of finding something, _anything_. Hell, at this point, he doesn’t even know what he’s looking for. He’s just desperate.

The blog is mostly filled with Levi Ackerman’s beautiful photography. There are a few personal posts here and there, a few reblogs, and selfies every once in awhile. Erwin pauses longer for those. All of his self-portraits are perfectly composed, as Mike pointed out earlier, which makes perfect sense now, considering his occupation. Many, Erwin has already seen, stolen by Nile and posted to his instagram or sent directly to him alongside a seemingly cute message. There are some photos, though, some more candid shots, that are new to Erwin. In one of them, Levi is holding up a large canvas print of one of his photos, his messy hair in his eyes. The caption reads, _“New prints are up now in my store!”_

Erwin stares at that photo a little too long, taking in Levi’s slender body, trying to remember if Nile ever sent him a full-body photo, and honestly can’t think of any. Immediately, Erwin is eager to see more, and masks his embarrassment by telling himself that it’s perfectly normal - he has been talking to Nile for months and thought that this was him, it’s only natural that he’s attracted to Levi. Right?

Another couple of drinks and Erwin has ventured back nearly a year and a half on Levi’s blog. A few minutes later, he finds himself on the “contact” page, and sends him a ballsy message on tumblr, because _why the fuck not?_

It just reads, _“Your name isn’t actually Nile by any chance, is it?”_

And _that’s_ where things finally start to get interesting.

Erwin means to send the message anonymously, but he’s had a few drinks, and he attributes that to why he accidentally clicks send too quickly and immediately curses himself. Now, if this Levi guy does ignore him - which Erwin fully expects him to, he probably has much better things to worry about - it’ll be personal.

Sighing, Erwin sets his laptop down on his coffee table, leaving it ignored for a few minutes while he grabs a couple of empty bottles and throws them in the recycling bin. He glances in his refrigerator before grabbing his leftovers from lunch with Mike, heating them up and returning to the living room with more food and another beer. And when he does return, it’s with the thought that his house is going to be trashed in the morning, and to a new message on tumblr.

_Oh, fuck._

Erwin discards his food on the table for a moment, grabbing his laptop and clicking the message icon in record speed. It is indeed from the photographer, and it reads, _“nope. definitely Levi last time i checked.”_

Erwin sighs, running a hand through his hair. It was pointless to send a message to this guy who had absolutely nothing to do with his fucked up love life situation, and now he feels embarrassed, ashamed. Why couldn’t he just let it be? Instead of responding to Levi’s message, which doesn’t necessarily warrant a response, Erwin sets the laptop down and opts for eating his leftovers, but only gets a few bites in before he notices another message notification pop up.

_“why”_

Erwin curses under his breath at the one word message. He didn’t have to involve him, he still doesn’t have to. If he doesn’t reply, Levi will probably forget about it eventually, will forget that he exists, and Erwin can try to move on from this awkward situation.

But he’s a little drunk, a little desperate and he can’t help himself. He types the first thing that comes to mind, which admittedly, sounds a little pathetic, but there’s no stopping it once he hits send.

_“I think I fell in love with someone impersonating you.”_

The next response comes quickly. Erwin isn’t even halfway through his half-cold meal before he reads it, and no, his heart certainly doesn’t leap in his chest a little bit at another message from _Levi._

_“someone catfished you as me? thats rough buddy.”_

Erwin replies, even though he doesn’t have to. At this point, he can’t help himself.

_“You’re telling me. Thanks anyway.”_

And that’s the end of it. Erwin doesn’t receive another message from Levi, and for the time being, he doesn’t send another. However, that doesn’t stop Erwin from returning to the photographer’s blog. He keeps scrolling as he finishes his dinner, eventually coming across a few more self-portraits, ones that Nile _definitely_ didn’t send him, likely because he was far too lazy to snoop so far back on Levi’s blog. And some weird part of Erwin is glad he didn’t, because it would have been disrespectful to the other man. You know, the man that he’s never met but is mentally defending from scumbag Nile. The man that he is still clearly internet stalking when he should be staying as far away from the internet as possible for a while.

The photos in question are artistic nudes in black and white with a soft, natural light filtering in through big bedroom windows. They're tasteful yet teasing, not giving _too_ much away, but show off the soft curve and sharp corners of a body that is very obviously Levi’s, if the dark bangs are any indication. The light casts shadows onto his toned abs, his muscular thighs, sharp collarbones, and dark sheets that just barely cover up his groin, a small trail of hair leaving the rest to Erwin’s imagination. He swallows and his throat feels thick.

_Fuck_.

Erwin almost likes the post, but instead, he messages Levi again. It’s stupid, but he can’t help it. He’s sure he’ll regret it in the morning.

_“You’re sure you’re not Nile?”_

This time, Levi replies quickly, _“haha yeah man sorry.”_

Another couple of minutes go by, and Erwin continues to scroll through Levi’s blog. It’s not that he’s infatuated with this Levi guy - hell, he doesn’t even know him - but it’s addicting, scrolling through his beautiful photos and self-portraits that Erwin hasn’t seen yet. A few more minutes pass, another beer is emptied, and then Erwin receives a photo submission on Tumblr. Part of him knows that it’s Levi before he even clicks it, and he almost feels giddy when he does, which he tries not to think too much about. The photo is one of Levi in shitty quality, likely taken on a webcam. He’s holding up a piece of printer paper that reads, _“sorry about your love life - Levi,”_ but Erwin isn’t paying attention to the message clearly written for him. Instead, he’s taking in the candid photo, the deep v-neck that shows off his collarbones and the slight smirk that Levi is giving him. It’s something he never received from Nile, that’s for damn sure.

Erwin quickly types out a message.

_“Point taken.”_

He follows Levi on tumblr in the wee hours of the morning after a few more beers and scrolling through even more of his blog.

And when he wakes up in the morning, hungover, embarrassed and exhausted, it's to find that Levi has followed him back.

* * *

 

Between traveling and photoshoots, Levi is somewhat of a homebody. Sure, he enjoys going out with his friends and exploring new places in the city, but he also cherishes a good night at home, alone with Netflix and his laptop. This evening in particular, Levi finds himself scrolling aimlessly through Tumblr after spending a few hours updating his website, and at around ten that night, he receives an unprompted message. Upon reading the first one, he can’t help but feel a little bit amused.

_“Your name isn’t actually Nile by any chance, is it?”_

He’s unsure why someone is asking what his name is, when it’s _clearly_ stated in his blog and on his website, but Levi humors the guy, sending a quick message back. He doesn’t even bother clicking on the asker's blog, doesn’t even try to learn more about him, but when he doesn’t receive another message back immediately, he sends another.

_“why”_

When Levi learns the stranger’s true reason for reaching out, he actually finds it quite amusing that someone out there would use _his_ photos, of anyone they could have chosen, to catfish somebody, but Levi takes it in stride, messaging the poor guy back and forth a few times before moving on with his evening. Though he has quite a few followers on Tumblr and Instagram, and despite the fact that his photos are all over the web, this is a first. People have taken his landscape work and even portraits without credit, or even tried to claim them as their own, but it has never happened with the photos of himself. It’s actually kind of flattering, but after a while, he thinks nothing of it, moving on with his night.

Then, the guy sends him _another_ message, so Levi takes it upon himself to reply with a photo, just to prove a point. It isn’t until then that he really visits the stranger’s blog, and judging by his sidebar icon, he’s actually not a terrible looking dude. It’s a small photo, but from what Levi can see, he’s got blonde hair, blue eyes, and a well-shaped face. It’s aesthetically pleasing, and no, that’s not just the photographer in him talking. He could probably do much better than some shitty catfish who couldn’t find someone better looking than _Levi_ to impersonate.

Levi sends the photo, then proceeds to spend a few minutes on the guy - _Erwin’s_ \- blog. He learns within a few clicks that Erwin does PR for a record label, he enjoys going to concerts frequently, and he lives on the other side of the country. And, by going to _/tagged/me_ on his blog (and praising himself for being good at guessing what this stranger tags his selfies as) he learns that Erwin _really_ isn’t bad looking. In fact, he’s the type of guy that Levi would choose for a photo shoot simply because he’d get to oogle at him all day. He has a sculpted face, a perfect jawline, thick eyebrows and golden hair. In some photos, he even has just a little bit of scruff, which makes Levi nearly drool a little, especially alongside those piercing blue eyes. As he scrolls, Levi also comes across a few shirtless photos of Erwin at the beach, which only confirm his previous thoughts about photographing him. He’d be a perfect model, even if he didn’t know what to do. Guys like Erwin can just stand there and look pretty - he’s a photographer’s wet dream, and somehow, he stumbled right into Levi’s askbox.

But Levi _will not_ follow him just for that. He doesn’t want to give this poor guy, who is obviously terrible at dating (judging by the fact that he was just _catfished_ by someone who he thought was Levi) false hope. That would just be cruel.

But then, Levi wakes in the morning to find that Erwin has followed him, and he’ll be damned if he doesn’t follow back.

* * *

 

About a week after their initial encounter, Erwin and Levi haven’t said another word to each other. Erwin will like one of Levi’s posts every once in awhile, and Levi may or may not casually stalk Erwin’s blog in his free time, but it isn’t until over a week later that they finally speak again.

Petra, one of Levi’s friends, models and fellow photographers, drags Levi out to the bar with some of her co-workers, and Levi can’t help but drink heavily because they all turn out to be insufferable morons. He loves Petra, but he can’t handle some of the people she chooses to surround herself with. About three hours after leaving his apartment, he catches an Uber home and later, finds himself struggling to type Erwin’s Tumblr url into his laptop’s search bar.

It’s stupid and he’s drunk, but he does it anyway. The guy intrigues him. He’s attractive and probably a little desperate, and obviously doesn’t think Levi is _ugly_ if he fell for someone who was using his photos. Hell, Erwin even followed him first. That has to count for something, _right_?

So Levi, drunk, stupid Levi types out a quick, sloppy message to Erwin, hitting send before he can think of the outcome.

It reads, _“hey catfish. i gotta question for you.”_

Erwin doesn’t immediately reply, and Levi quickly becomes discouraged, then distracted, and eventually, forgets all about it in his drunken state. He leaves his laptop on his sofa and goes rummaging through his pantry for something to eat, eventually returning with a bag of chips, some half-eaten dip and a very poorly made, too-strong gin and tonic. About an hour after sending the message, Levi is all but sobered up, the food soaking up some of the liquor, but the drink canceling it out, and he forgets about sending the message until a notification pops up on his phone.

“Oh shit,” Levi mutters to himself, reaching forward to turn down the volume on his television, as if it’ll help him read Erwin’s message better.

_“Shoot.”_

It’s simple, but enough for Levi, who imagines cracking his knuckles and typing out a smart, well-worded message. What results, however is him having to delete it a few times due to drunken typos and the following message:

_“so… this dude pretended to be me, right? does that mean ur attracted to me?”_

It’s a fucking stupid question, becauses _obviously_ Erwin is attracted to him if someone was using _his_ photos to get his attention, but he has to ask. Maybe it’s because he’s drunk and wants that affirmation. Maybe because he’s feeling a little lonely and desperate, and wouldn’t mind some attention. Levi is fishing for compliments, but after a night out with Petra and no luck in finding a potential date (or even a potential fuck) he can’t help it. He’s a little thirsty, and Erwin is a tall drink of water.

_A tall drink of water? What the fuck?_

Just as Levi is about to question his own sanity and close his laptop - because he’s _way_ too intoxicated to be messaging this probably very nice guy - he receives another message from Erwin. It’s carefully worded and very simple.

_“I was attracted to more than just his looks.”_

The message stings for a moment - it’s as if Erwin doesn’t want to feed Levi’s ego or give him the wrong impression - but Levi is quick to reply, ballsy as ever. _“but you think im hot.”_

Press hard enough, and he’ll cave. At least, that’s what Levi tells himself about the California boy. And just when Levi’s mind begins to wander again, wondering how this Erwin guy hasn’t found some nice, perfectly good looking dude out there in his beautiful home state - hell, maybe _he_ isn’t even who he says he is, maybe this is just some ploy to get close to Levi - he receives a response, and all thoughts are wiped away for the time being. It takes a few minutes, but Erwin finally replies to him, and Levi scrambles to click on it.

_“I suppose so, yes.”_

“I suppose so,” Levi reads out loud, “Tsk.” He’s beginning to sober up - _finally_ , it’s nearly two in the morning - but he’s still a little drunk and overconfident.

He replies with, _“good answer.”_

And then immediately sends another message that reads, _“you’re not so bad yourself.”_

He feels like a complete asshole the next morning when he awakes to no response.

* * *

 

A few days later, after Levi has all but forgotten the embarrassment of messaging some attractive stranger on the internet while intoxicated, he finds himself scrolling aimlessly through Tumblr, as he does between editing photos and looking for work. It’s then that he notices that Erwin has reblogged on of his newest photos, posted the night before. Petra snuck him into her work building that evening, allowing him to snag a few beautiful night photos of the city from a higher vantage point. It already has hundreds of notes on tumblr (not that Levi is bragging or anything) but Erwin’s name is what catches his eye.

Apparently, he didn’t scare the guy off. This comes as a surprise to Levi, who quickly begins devising a plan to get the other man’s attention, just to see what happens. After a few minutes of toying with the idea, he grabs a camera, pulls open his curtains, lies in bed and takes a few well framed self-portraits, light filtering in beautifully through the window. The shirt that he’s wearing fits him loosely, pooling down low on his chest and exposing his skin. It’s one of his favorites to wear when he goes out with friends, and it looks perfect for these sort photos - teasing and sensual, but not overdone, desperate or sexual by any means. He edits the photos quickly, then posts a couple of them on Tumblr - one of him lying sideways in bed, half-tangled in the sheets, one sleepy eye looking into the lens, and the other taken from his nose down, accentuating his collarbones and elongated neck. He captions the photo set as _“lazy sunday”_ and clicks _post._

Erwin likes it almost immediately, and Levi can’t help but grin.

_Fuck it._

Before he can talk himself out of it, Levi shoots a message Erwin’s way. It’s nothing special, just, _“hey.”_

The response is almost immediate. _“Hi.”_

_“i see you liking my selfies.”_

_“I’d hardly call them selfies,”_ Erwin replies.

_“oh?”_ Levi asks, intrigued.

_“They’re more like self-portraits.”_

_“oh.”_

Things go quiet, and as soon as they do, Levi chews on his bottom lip, contemplating the outcome. Either he can bite the bullet, go for it, and see if Erwin has any interest, or the poor guy will likely just keep enjoying his selfies from afar, liking his photos occasionally and probably beating himself up about the whole catfish thing. Levi hasn’t ever really pursued someone he met online before, but he’d hardly call this _pursuing_ , anyway. Maybe, he can make friends with Erwin and ask to take photos of him. People would eat that shit up.

_Levi_ would eat that shit up.

What does he have left to lose? He types out another message.

_“look. i know you’re just getting over getting your heart broken by someone pretending to be me, which is super flattering and all, but if you ever wanna talk to the real thing, my number is on my website. i’m sure you know where to find it.”_

It comes off as a little confident and cocky, but Levi supposes he has the right to act so. He sends the message, and two days later, receives a text message from a number he doesn’t know.


	2. Like You Lots

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _You are my number one baby_  
>  _I like you lots_  
>  _I think everybody knows baby_  
>  _I like you lots_  
>  \- [Like You Lots](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGuKzb8vM4w) \- LANY (I'm kind of obsessed with them currently)
> 
> Writing their first few interactions was so much fun! Also sorry not sorry for the way that Levi texts. He doesn't know what capital letters are. 
> 
> (Also, there's a lot I want to do with this universe, and I'm not completely done outlining this fic yet, so if there's anything you'd like to see, let me know and I'll see if I can make it happen. Share some headcanons with me! This one is kinda just one big goofy, fluffy fanservice. Whoops.)

On one hand, Erwin wants to feel pathetic. He initially contacted Levi in hopes of getting some sort of closure, something that allowed him to move on from Nile, but instead, he found himself growing infatuated with  _ another _ stranger online - someone from the other side of the country, and the person from the photos Nile had been using, nonetheless. 

It’s not that Erwin is hopeless when it comes to dating - he really  _ isn’t _ a bad looking guy, and he is confident to know that he has quite a few good qualities - but it just never seems to work out. The last serious relationship he had was with his high school sweetheart, Marie, who ended things two years after graduation, after their lives began to go in different directions. Since then, Erwin’s twenties have been filled with a few failed attempts at meeting someone new, some flings that never went anywhere, a couple of one night stands, and  _ Nile _ . He just hasn’t found someone that he feels that  _ spark _ with, and he thought Nile was that person, but it turns out he couldn’t be more wrong. 

But instead of stepping as far away as possible from the internet, Erwin finds himself talking to Levi with more and more frequency over the next few days into weeks. He should know better than to get involved with Levi or anyone else online, but that doesn’t stop him, and Erwin tries to tell himself it’s not because he’s already infatuated with the face in the photos, but that would be a flat out lie. He shouldn’t be talking to Levi not only for that reason alone, but also because Mike will likely give him a  _ lot _ of shit about it if he finds out. 

However, Mike already suspects that Erwin is talking to someone, and teases him about it a couple times while they’re at a show, shortly after Erwin contacts Levi for the first time. When Erwin checks his tumblr a couple of times - which is a couple more than usual when he’s out with friends, he he’s being honest - but when Mike asks, he assures him that he certainly isn’t  _ talking _ to someone. Messaging a complete stranger back and forth a couple of times like a pathetic loser doesn’t count. 

But then Levi practically gives him his number, inviting Erwin to contact him outside of the blogging website, and well… Erwin just  _ might _ be talking to someone, but he doesn’t tell Mike that. He certainly doesn’t tell him that the someone in particular is another person online, or that it’s the real person behind the photos that Nile had used to trick him.

Besides, they’re not really  _ talking  _ yet. At least, not until Erwin musters up the courage to send Levi a text message a few days later. It takes a short pep-talk and some pacing throughout the kitchen, but finally, Erwin decides  _ fuck it _ and types out a short message on his phone, telling himself that Levi wouldn’t have practically told him to text him unless he wanted to. 

_ “Hey _ ,” it reads, simple and short,  _ “It’s Erwin.” _

The response is swift. Levi begins typing moments after Erwin sends the initial message, if the ellipsis that appears right away says anything, and then shortly after, two words appear on Erwin’s phone.  _ “prove it.” _

Erwin adjusts his position from where he on his sofa, heart hammering in his chest. It’s stupid, he shouldn’t be this nervous, nor this excited texting a stranger - he’s done it before, not to mention has to talk to strangers every single day at work - but for some reason, this feels different. Shaking the thought away, he takes angles his phone slightly above his head for a selfie, but quickly decides that it’s not good enough. The light isn’t right and he looks tired and… Erwin ends up taking three more photos before settling on one and sending it to Levi.

Again, the other man’s response is quick. 

_ “nice self portrait.” _

And Erwin would insist that he doesn’t get a little giddy at the compliment, but that would be a downright lie.

* * *

 

Over the next few days into the next couple of weeks, Levi and Erwin begin to talk frequently. Texting proves to be significantly less awkward than messaging one another via tumblr, and quick banter back and forth becomes a regular occurrence while Erwin is bored at work, sitting at home or even out at a show. After the initial nerves pass, Erwin quickly learns that Levi is fairly easy to talk to, albeit just a little bit intimidating. After the first few short and somewhat awkward exchanges, it becomes easy to text back and forth with Levi, and quickly, they begin to talk more. 

Generally, it’s Levi who initiates conversation, sending Erwin a photo from a photo shoot or a stupid question, but within a week, Erwin becomes comfortable texting the other man out of the blue as well. Erwin asks Levi what he’s up to one afternoon during a particularly slow day, and Levi responds with a quick photo from what looks like the set of a photo shoot. Erwin has been to enough promotional photo shoots to recognize the studio lighting and backdrop set-up, and a girl with striking red hair and high fashion attire stands in the center of the frame, typing away on her phone.

_ “shooting with Petra,” _ Levi responds, then quickly sends another photo of the girl, this time zoomed in drastically from where he’s sitting.  _ “that’s Petra.” _

Erwin chuckles to himself upon seeing the second image before responding with,  _ “I see.” _

_ “what about you?” _ Levi asks.

In return, Erwin sends him a picture of his work desktop. He hasn’t sent Levi a photo since that first “self-portrait” the day they started texting one another, but it feels natural now.   _ “Waiting for a PR emergency, I’m sure.” _

_ “sounds fun.” _

From then, sending photos back and forth becomes a regular occurrence between Levi and Erwin. Levi will snap a photo from one of his shoots, a stunning location or a beautiful sunset from the other side of the country (which Erwin most certainly doesn’t save onto his phone, if anyone is asking) and in return Erwin will send photos from one of his client’s shows, a picture of the beach when he goes with Mike one weekend, or just a stupid selfie from time to time. Something about the way that they communicate makes Erwin feel more at ease than he ever did when talking to Nile. Not that he wants to compare the two, but he attributes it to the fact that he  _ knows _ he’s speaking to Levi this time around. Casual photos and Levi’s blunt way of texting tells Erwin that much. There’s nothing to hide. 

You know, except for Erwin’s blossoming crush on the guy. 

It’s stupid, really. Erwin doesn’t have the time to be falling for another person that lives on the other side of the country, especially someone who he hasn’t even met. There’s no way that he’ll be visiting New York any time soon, and even if he was, Levi travels frequently for work, too. There’s a chance he’d be out of town, anyway. It would never work out. But still, Erwin looks forward to messages from Levi every day.

Levi is blunt and crass. He makes offensive and gross jokes, and Erwin likes that he doesn’t try to come off as perfect for someone that he’s never even met before, that he doesn’t hide that side of him. It feels honest, natural, and in return, Erwin shoots his own cheesy jokes (which Levi dubs as “dad” jokes) his way. He allows himself to loosen up to this perfect stranger. It should be unnerving, but Erwin nearly feels as comfortable texting Levi as he does talking to Mike or anyone else he has known for years. 

One afternoon in particular, Levi texts Erwin, requesting a selfie out of the blue, and when Erwin doesn’t reply right away - he is in a work meeting - Levi texts him again.

_ “what, are you taking a shit?” _

Erwin can’t help but snort out a laugh when he finally sees the message as he’s sitting in his car about twenty minutes later, ready to go home. Instead of starting the vehicle and waiting to reply until he gets home, he sends a quick text back to Levi.  _ “Why do you need a photo of me?” _

If Erwin knew what Levi’s voice sounded like, he’d swear he could hear it in his next message. But for now, he’ll just have to imagine Levi saying in a monotone, sarcastic voice,  _ “I’m a photographer. maybe I just wanna admire your good jawline.” _

And instead of simply appeasing the other man and sending a quick photo, Erwin can’t help but smile as he types back teasingly,  _ “I have a good jawline?” _

_ “I’d be able to tell if you sent a photo,”  _ Levi shoots back only a few seconds later. 

In response, as he sits in his car outside of work, Erwin jokingly takes and sends a closeup photo of only his jaw and chin. Immediately, an ellipsis appears, and Erwin chuckles to himself as he awaits a response.

And of course, Levi’s reply is swift.  _ “oh come on, dad jokes,”  _ he writes, followed closely by,  _ “I didn’t think you were such an old man.” _

At that, Erwin finally sends a well composed selfie, grinning slightly into the camera. The caption reads,  _ “I’m not old.” _

In response Levi shoots back, _ “it’s okay to feel that way. I’m sure being in your 40’s isn’t easy.” _

Erwin shakes his head at Levi’s joke, the smile never once fading from his face. He knows he should probably be driving home right now in order to beat rush hour traffic, but instead, he finds himself texting Levi back again. Something could probably be said about that, but he’s too busy grinning to himself and typing away on his phone to care at the moment.  _ “Ouch. I’m only 28, thank you very much,”  _ he writes, waiting for a moment before adding, _ “And what are you, five?” _

_ “ha very funny,” _ Levi responds, then,  _ “I'm 23 actually, and you are old.” _

Erwin doesn’t reply right away, simply because he has finally convinced himself to pull out of the parking lot and start driving home, but he does glance at his phone when it vibrates once more in his lap. The second text reads,  _ “but you’re pretty hot for an old man. so its cool.” _

* * *

 

A few days later and a little over a month after they initially start talking, Erwin finds himself texting away with Levi while getting lunch with Mike. Normally, he would keep his phone away, especially at risk of Mike finding out just who he’s talking to and subsequently giving him a ton of shit about it, but just as they sit down at the patio, Erwin’s phone buzzes, and he can’t help but look.

Of course, it’s a text message from Levi. 

_ “I’m meeting with a big potential client today,”  _ he says,  _ “and I need your help choosing something to wear. which one of these says ‘I wanna spend three days out in the cold in Canada so you pay me lots of money’?” _

Erwin smiles at the message - because apparently Levi cares about his opinion - and orders his drink and food before types out a quick response while Mike orders, hoping that he doesn’t notice.  _ “Okay,” _ he replies,  _ “What are the options?” _

Mike finishes ordering his lunch and while waiting for a response from Levi, Erwin sets his phone face-down on the table, thinking he’s being subtle. He can probably check it again in a few minutes without being obnoxious and give Levi a quick answer. But apparently, it’s too obvious for Mike, who reaches out and snatches his phone the second Erwin’s not paying attention. 

“Wait,” Erwin reaches forward, trying to steal it back, embarrasment flooding his senses. “I’m waiting for an important email.” It’s a downright lie, but Erwin hopes Mike buys it.

He doesn’t. 

_ “Levi _ , huh?” Mike asks upon unlocking the phone, shooting him a smirk, “So is this who you’ve been talking to lately?”

On top of cursing himself for ever sharing his passcode with his former roommate, Erwin sighs, “Well-”

He doesn’t have a chance to get a word out, though, because then his phone is vibrating in Mike’s hands, and immediately, his friend’s jaw drops. “ _ Erwin-” _

Erwin knows that Mike’s reaction is because Levi likely sent a photo, or probably a series of them, and to his horror, recognizes the face. “Mike, I can explain-”

“Isn’t this  _ Nile?” _ Mike accuses, holding the phone, image of Levi proudly on display, in front of Erwin’s face. For a split second, Erwin finds himself distracted, eyes on the mirror selfie that proudly displays Levi’s entire body and even some of what looks like his bedroom, but Mike’s voice and subsequent disgust shakes him out of it. “Or, the guy Nile was pretending to be? You’re not  _ still _ talking to that dickhead, are you?”

“No, no,” Erwin tries to begin to explain, hands up in protest, but Mike keeps talking.

“Erwin, you  _ know _ he’s lying to you. We cleared that up. I thought you stopped talking to him. You can’t possibly think that -”

“I  _ did _ stop talking to him,” Erwin insists to a disbelieving Mike, who sets Erwin’s phone back down on the table with a hard  _ thunk. _ “That’s not Nile, it’s Levi.”

Mike raises his eyebrows, as if he doesn’t fully understand, even though he was there when Erwin discovered who Nile  _ really  _ was - or well, who Nile was pretending to be.

Erwin sighs. He can already feel himself becoming embarrassed. It’s going to come off as pathetic, but he can’t necessarily lie, now. “He’s… He’s the person that Nile was impersonating. The photographer, remember?”

And  _ then _ it seems to click. Mike’s jaw drops. “Wait, he’s  _ real  _ guy?”

“Yes.”

“The photographer,” Mike continues, “The one we looked up that day?”

“Yes,” Erwin repeats. 

“Holy  _ shit _ , Erwin,” Mike says with a surprised laugh, “You really don’t give up, do you?”

And at that, Erwin hides his head in his hands. A fresh wave of embarrassment floods over him, but underneath that, Erwin has to admit, it feels good to tell someone about Levi. It feels good to remember that this isn’t completely one-sided. Although Erwin was the first one to reach out, and in a rather pathetic way, Levi was the one who continued communicating with him, even going as far as to give Erwin his number. As embarrassing as it is for his best friend to find out this way - Erwin planned on telling him eventually, if it became more serious - it also solidifies that this is  _ real _ .

As expected, Mike gives Erwin quite a bit of shit for talking to Levi, for contacting him and telling him what happened. He demands to know how they started speaking, and Erwin doesn’t have a decent lie lined up, so he tells the truth, which earns him even more teasing from his friend. When he eventually feels confident enough reaching for his phone again, after they’ve received their food, Levi has already send him a text to follow up the three photos that reads,  _ “you took too long. going with the green shirt. if I don’t get the job it’s your fault.” _

Erwin smiles at the text, and promptly receives even more shit about it from Mike, but honestly? He finds that he doesn’t really mind. That fact should scare him, but Erwin is too busy insisting that the green shirt is a good choice to care.

* * *

 

It’s not very often that Erwin gets the opportunity to work with an artist that he’s genuinely passionate about, so when one that he really loves practically falls into his lap that Friday, he invites a few work friends out for drinks that evening to celebrate. It isn’t something Erwin normally does unless he’s out at a show or with Mike and some of his closer friends, but this is a special occasion, so that’s how he winds up downtown at some bar he’s never been to with some co-workers and their friends as they use his celebration as an excuse to drink excessively. It’s not that Erwin  _ isn’t _ having a good time, but when his phone begins to vibrate in his pocket a little over an hour after arriving at the bar, he happily excuses himself to take the call, even though it’s well after eleven at night.

What Erwin doesn’t expect however, as he steps away from his co-workers and kind-of friends at the bar, is for Levi’s name to be the one illuminating his screen. It’s not the usual text message, but a late night phone call, and  _ oh _ . That’s unexpected.

Erwin and Levi have been talking back and forth with ease for almost two months now, but neither man has ever called the other. It has been a somewhat awkward, unspoken thing between them. They text constantly, almost with a familiarity of two old friends (aside from the fact that they’re still learning new things about one another) and at this point, Erwin has decided that they’ve never had a reason to actually  _ talk. _ Until now, apparently. 

What changed Levi’s mind?

Wondering what he could be calling about, Erwin hurries out to the back patio of the bar before answering the call just in time. 

“Hello?”

There’s a bit of static in response, and a broken up voice.

“E-hell-o?”

“Hello?” Erwin repeats, “Levi?” 

It’s strange, saying the other man’s name out loud. Sure, he has talked to Mike about him once or twice since his friend saw the incriminating text messages, but he’s never actually  _ talked _ to Levi himself. The name feels foreign, yet familiar on his tongue. 

And _ then _ the voice cuts through, clear as day. “Farlan?”

It’s a bit deeper than Erwin had been expecting, but just as low and soft. However, it wasn’t the name Erwin expected to hear. It seems that maybe, Levi called the wrong number. He’s quiet for a moment, both unsure of what to say and in awe of Levi’s voice before finally stammers out, “Uh… No, this is Erwin.”

“ _ What?” _ Levi all but squawks in return, his voice taking on a significantly higher quality with the outburst. Erwin has to struggle to keep his chuckle to himself, but a smile settles on his face.

“You called Erwin,” he says, amused and unable to hide the smile in his voice, “Hi.”

“Oh,  _ fuck _ ,” Levi mutters in response. The line goes quiet for a second, and Erwin imagines Levi pulling his phone away from his face in order to look at the screen, just to be sure. Then, as if that wasn’t proof enough, he asks, _ “Really?” _

“Yeah,” Erwin laughs at last, “Do you want me to let you go?”

“ _ No, _ no,” Levi says quickly, finally catching up. His voice transitions back down to it’s initial quality, low and a bit monotone. In some ways, it sounds just how Erwin expected. In others, it’s completely different. “No, it’s fine. I uh… I meant to call my roommate. I’m walking home alone and I was bored, but you’ll do.”

Erwin know that translates that Levi felt uncomfortable while walking home alone and quickly understands. 

“ _ I’ll do _ ,” he teases with a chuckle, “Thank you, I think.”

“God, you  _ sound _ like a dad,” Levi mutters in response, and Erwin just laughs. The initial nerves of talking to Levi fade as they go back and forth. It feels familiar, and Levi’s teasing sounds even better over the phone, rather than via text. It comes with the same ease as his messages do, which is a relief. Everything about Levi has been genuine so far. 

“I’m twenty-eight, Levi,” Erwin chastises, enjoying the way that the other man’s name sounds on his tongue. He finds himself wondering if Levi likes how it sounds, too, but his thoughts cut short when he realizes that he didn’t receive the quick remark in return that he had been expecting. “You there?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Levi mutters quickly, “Sorry, I’m kind of drunk.”

Erwin smiles. If he listens hard enough, he can hear a slight slur in the other man’s voice. “It’s alright. I am too, actually.”

“ _ Yeah?” _ Levi asks, a hopeful hint to his tone.

“Yeah,” Erwin echoes with a laugh. As they speak, the back door opens and a couple of people step outside to smoke. The noise from the bar filters outside as the door slowly closes, and Erwin takes a few steps away in order to avoid the background noise. 

Levi seems to hear it, though. “Fuck, I’m sorry,” he mutters, “Were you busy?”

“No, not particularly,” Erwin answers, then elaborates, “I’m out with some co-workers, but they kind of bailed on me for some of their friends, so an excuse to sneak away was nice.”

“Hah,” Levi huffs, “I’m probably more fun than them anyway.” And there’s that cool confidence that drew Erwin to Levi when they first started talking. He’s just a hint of cocky, but not over the top. He knows who he is, and Erwin likes that about him.

Erwin likes  _ him _ . 

“Definitely more interesting to talk to, that’s for sure,” Erwin admits.

It’s quiet for a moment, and briefly, Erwin wonders if he’s said too much, but then Levi is speaking again. “Hey Erwin?”

He tries not to revel in the sound of his name on Levi’s tongue. “Yeah?”

“How come we haven’t done this already?”

It’s a good question, and one that Erwin isn’t sure how to answer. Levi seems a little brazen while he’s been drinking, and he almost wishes that he hadn’t asked it, but he has. “I don’t know,” Erwin answers honestly, taking a risk with his next words as well, “But I like it.”

Levi huffs out a small laugh in response. “Yeah, me too.” Then, he asks, “Does my voice sound how you expected?”

Teasingly, Erwin asks, “What makes you think I was imagining it?”

“Because I’m feeling ballsy,” Levi shoots back, “So does it?”

Erwin chuckles. “A little,” he admits, “I definitely expected you to be just as blunt.”

“Hah,” Levi breathes, “Fucker. You don’t sound half bad yourself.”

Erwin, unsure of what to say in response, decides to change the subject. Sometimes, texting is easier, because he has the time to come up with a witty or smooth comeback. Now, he almost feels a little flustered by Levi. “How did your interview go, by the way?” He asks, remembering that it’s Friday, that Levi had his interview with the travel agency earlier that day, and they haven’t talked about it yet. 

“ _ Oh _ ,” Levi says, as if he was expecting something else, “It uh… It went good I think. I probably won’t hear back for a few weeks, but I think the green shirt really wowed them.”

“Yeah?” Erwin asks with a laugh, “Not your portfolio?” He can’t quite tell if Levi is flirting with him, or if it’s the alcohol that is giving him the teasing tone and slight attitude. Beneath his cool facade, Erwin can’t help but hope it’s flirting, though. 

“Nah,” Levi responds, “It’s all in the shirt. No thanks to you, fucker.”

“So harsh,” Erwin responds, “I tried to help.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Levi replies. In the background, he can hear the sound of keys jangling, then doors slamming. Eventually, when it goes quiet, Levi says, “Alright, well I’m home, so…”

“I’ll let you go,” Erwin supplies, “I should probably be getting back anyway.”

“Right,” Levi mutters, “Yeah, okay.”

Erwin senses disappointment in Levi’s tone, but tells himself that he’s hearing things. Levi didn’t even mean to call him in the first place, why would he be upset to hear him go? However, before Erwin has a chance to talk himself out of it, he takes a chance and says, “It was really nice talking to you, Levi.”

There’s a pause, then a slight intake of breath on the other line before Levi replies. “Yeah, you too.”

* * *

 

The morning after they first speak on the phone, Erwin awakes to a Facebook notification - a friend request from none other than Levi Ackerman. How Levi managed to find him with no mutual friends, Erwin isn’t sure, though he supposes he doesn’t have a very common name… Either way, he accepts Levi’s request almost immediately and finds himself scrolling through his Facebook feed shortly after. Levi doesn’t seem to use his Facebook quite as much as his tumblr or Instagram, but there are a few posts here and there that Erwin stops scrolling for. Most of them are images that Levi has been tagged in, candid photos taken by his friend Petra, or behind the scenes photos of him working on set. They are photos that Erwin has never seen before, and he eats it up, finding the way that Levi’s hair falls in his eyes in candid photos to be quite adorable and the height difference between him and the models he works with endearing. 

As he scrolls through Levi’s feed, he wonders if Levi is doing the same for him, stopping on photos that Mike has tagged him in, snooping through galleries from Erwin’s last hiking trip - he  _ had _ taken his shirt off halfway through, afterall. There are a few photos of him and Mike standing at the top of the trail, sweaty, shirtless and all smiles in the summer sun. He can’t help but wonder if Levi is admiring those photos as much as he’s admiring Levi’s, so on a whim, he decides to like one of Levi’s older posts, just to see.

Almost immediately, Erwin receives a Facebook message from Levi that just reads,  _ “Fucking creep.” _

He can’t help but smile.

* * *

 

Over the next few weeks, Eriwn and Levi take to speaking on the phone pretty frequently, aside from their usual texts back and forth throughout the day. The next time they talk, Erwin is the one who calls Levi a few days later, simply because they’ve been texting back and forth all afternoon, but Erwin really needs to run some errands, and he doesn’t want to text and drive. With a deep breath, he presses call, waits a few rings, and then Levi’s cool voice is in his ear.

“Hey.” It’s casual, as if he half-expected Erwin to call, as if this is something that they do regularly instead of it only being the second time they’ve ever spoken on the phone. He sounds much more composed and put together than the first time Erwin spoke to him, and immediately, Erwin’s throat tightens.

This is stupid, he shouldn’t be so nervous about speaking to Levi over the phone - he was never this nervous with Nile - but maybe that’s why. Levi is the real deal. There’s nothing to hide. “Hey,” Erwin echoes after a deep breath, “Sorry, I was driving and didn’t want to text.”

“It’s cool,” Levi replies easily, “I’m not doing anything.”

“Editing photos?” Erwin asks, because  _ doing nothing _ is code for working in Levi’s language. 

Levi huffs out a chuckle in return. “Yeah,” he mutters, “This fucking ad campaign is not paying me enough for this shit.”

“Maybe you should take a break,” Erwin offers. The conversation suddenly comes easy between the two of them, as if this is something they do frequently. 

“Are you suggesting I stop working so I can talk to you?” Levi teases. And there it is again, that flirting tone that Erwin heard during their last conversation. Erwin was unsure then if he was flirting or it it was simply because he had been drinking, but there’s no mistaking it now.

So this time, Erwin flirts back. “I mean, I’m not going to  _ make _ you do anything,” he teases back, “But I wouldn’t mind the company while I’m grocery shopping.”

Levi laughs at that, and something about the sound of it makes Erwin’s chest tighten. It’s light, softer than his usual voice. “You drive a hard bargain, Mr. Smith,” he replies, “But alright, sure. So you’re calling me because you need someone to talk to while you’re at the store?”

“I was  _ actually _ calling you because I didn’t want to get into an accident,” Erwin corrects.

“Right, of course,” Levi says. Erwin can hear the playful hint to his tone and he can’t help the way he smiles in return. 

They end up staying on the phone throughout Erwin’s drive to the grocery store and up until the point that he is standing in line, when, with a sigh, Levi says that he should probably get back to work. While their conversation hasn’t necessarily been anything monumental - mostly mundane small talk with a little bit of flirting back and forth thrown in -  Erwin doesn’t necessarily want it to end, but he agrees, telling Levi that he’ll talk to him later.

He tells himself that he’s just hearing things, but he swears he can hear the smile in Levi’s voice when he responds with, “Yeah, that sounds good.”

And he’d be lying if he said he didn’t like the sound of Levi’s voice.

* * *

 

The third time they speak on the phone, it’s Levi who calls Erwin late one afternoon. Erwin is sitting on his sofa with his laptop, typing away at a client’s press release for the next morning when his phone rings, and he should probably be embarrassed at the way that he drops everything he’s doing to answer when he sees it’s Levi, but he pushes those thoughts out of his mind. 

The third time they talk, Levi finds some stupid excuse to call Erwin. He has been editing photos all afternoon, still working on the same stupid ad campaign for a watch, and honestly his fingers are just itching to reach over and dial Erwin’s number. He knows he should be working, but he also doesn’t mind talking to the other man and - 

Alright, that’s a downright lie. He looks forward to speaking with Erwin. He likes the sound of his voice and how he takes Levi’s cruel sense of flirting in stride, even gently flirting back when he catches the hint. It has been two days since the last time he and Erwin spoke on the phone and suddenly, he aches to do so, even though he hasn’t been texting him all day, like usual.

“ _ Fuck it _ ,” Levi mutters to himself, discarding his laptop in favor of grabbing his phone, scrolling until he finds Erwin’s name and pressing  _ call _ . 

It rings quite a few times, but just when Levi worries that the other man isn’t going to answer, he does. 

“Hello?”

“Hey,” Levi says, quickly coming up with a decent excuse to be calling, “I need your help deciding between a couple of different edits on photos.”

Erwin laughs in response, and the sound of it almost kills Levi.  _ Almost _ . “What makes you think I’ll be any help?” he asks, “I’m not artistic.”

“ _ Aww _ , you think I’m artistic,” Levi teases, a smile pulling at his lips. Honestly, the compliment makes him blush slightly, and he’s glad that Erwin can’t see him right now. But he reigns in his emotions, continuing with, “I normally ask my roommate, but he’s busy.”

Levi glances down the hall, where the bathroom door is closed. He can hear the water running - Farlan is in the shower - and well, it’s not a total lie…

“Oh.” Erwin’s voice sounds slightly disappointed with Levi’s answer - did he  _ want _ him to outright say that he just wanted to talk? - and quickly, Levi works to remedy things. 

“Plus, you’re in PR or whatever,” he says, “You should be able to tell which photo is more flattering. Imagine she’s one of your clients or something.”

The chuckle Levi earns in response is enough to tell him that he has won. “Alright,” Erwin responds, “Send them my way.”

Honestly, Levi  _ doesn’t _ need help choosing between the two photos. One is slightly warmer, and while the model’s skin looks brighter and softer in it, the color scheme doesn’t mesh with the watch - the product that she’s supposed to be selling. The second photo however has a slightly cooler tone to it, complementing the black and silver watch perfectly. He sends them both to Erwin though - just an excuse to hear his voice a little longer - and awaits his response.

“The first one is beautiful,” Erwin says upon first glance. Levi imagines him examining his work and immediately feels confident under his praise. 

“ _ But…” _ Levi says, waiting for him to go on.

“But,” Erwin continues, “This is for an ad, correct?”

“Yeah.”

“Then definitely the second one,” Erwin replies, “It accents the watch better.”

Levi beams. “That’s what I thought,” he admits.

“ _ Oh _ ,” Levi can hear the teasing tone in Erwin’s voice before he even finishes his thought and wants to smack himself. He just gave it away. “So you  _ didn’t _ really need my help.”

“That’s not true!” Levi scrambles, “I just wanted a second opinion, that’s all.”

“Alright,” Erwin says with a laugh, though Levi can tell that he doesn’t buy it, and the thought is both embarrassing and exhilarating. 

However, as soon as Levi opens his mouth to say something back - to flirt back - he hears the bathroom door opening, and then Falan is shouting something indistinguishable at him from down the hall. 

“I’m on the phone!” Levi yells back, “Hold on!”

And he can hear the smile in Erwin’s voice when he teases, “I thought your roommate was busy.”

Thankfully, Levi is quick to come up with a save. “Don’t tell him,” he murmurs, “But I think you have better tastes than him.” 

As soon as Levi eventually gets off the phone with Erwin for the third time, he can’t help but flop down onto his bed, hiding his face with his hands. He hasn’t even met the fucking man before, yet he enjoys talking with him more than any of his friends who actually live in New York. It’s weird, and it’s not something he ever planned on doing - he always thought that meeting people online was pointless and stupid - but Erwin is different. He  _ likes _ Erwin.

And it’s in that moment that Levi realizes that he’s completely fucked. 


	3. Cliff's Edge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Closing in closer to you_   
>  _This could take all night_   
>  _Caving and crumbling on your_   
>  _Hips, your lips, they're mine_
> 
> _Cliff's edge, you turn me on_  
>  _You lead me on_  
>  _You got me on_  
>  \- [Cliff's Edge](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZfCUM1uyvw) \- Hayley Kiyoko
> 
> Oh man, I've been so excited to share this chapter! Things are finally moving along nicely for these boys. Also, I really love writing Levi being over-confident. Sorry not sorry.

The more that Levi talks to Erwin, the more that he gets to know him and the more he grows to like him. Erwin may be a few years older than him, but Levi almost prefers it that way. His maturity is refreshing compared to Levi's roommates and friends at times. That, and he likes Erwin's cheesy dad jokes and stupid sense of humor and the way that he puts up with Levi’s own crude jokes. He likes the way that Erwin is patient with him, that he doesn't text or call or bother him if he says he's going to be busy, but is always happy to talk whenever they're both free. It's something that Levi has always looked for in people his age, but has never been able to find it. The fact of the matter is, Levi is busy, and he needs someone around who can understand that.

And Levi likes that Erwin is invested in his work, that he always likes or comments on his posts and photos, even his selfies. In the past, Levi has met people who only want to use him for his work in hopes of getting free photos or tagging along when he travels. Levi has tried dating and has come across plenty of people who only want him for his talent or the perks and nothing else, but Erwin isn't like that. Obviously they're not dating - not even close to it - but it's refreshing when Erwin will call just to talk about nothing in particular. A lot of the time, they don't even talk about Levi's work, and when they do, it's just  _ different _ . Erwin seems invested. He seems different. 

Levi isn't stupid. He realizes that he may be developing feelings for someone who lives on the other side of the country, someone he's never met, who he only knows because they had been seeing someone who was pretending to be him. It's unorthodox. It's a weird situation and Levi knows that it's dangerous and pathetic and goes against everything he knows, but he likes Erwin. He looks forward to speaking with him, to hearing about his day, to sharing things with him. He realizes how fucked up it is, that there's a huge possibility that nothing could come from it, but he also frankly doesn't care. Maybe this was what he'd been missing for years, the spark that hadn't been there whenever he tried to date anyone else.

He doesn't tell Erwin this, though. There's an unspoken connection between them, that much is obvious from how much the two flirt back and forth, but Levi doesn't act on it. What's he supposed to do, hop on a plane to California and hope that this guy he's been talking to is as amazing as he seems?

No, right now, Levi just lets things simmer. 

However, even if he may not be actively pursuing Erwin, that doesn't mean his friends don't notice. Levi doesn't go out very often, but when he does, it's either with his roommates (which can be a little messy considering Isabel just recently turned 21) or with Petra, a model that he frequently shoots with and her friend and manager, Hange. This night in particular, Levi left his roommates at home in favor of hanging out with other friends, but instead finds himself sitting quietly across from them in the booth, typing away on his phone as they talk. 

He and Erwin aren't talking about anything in particular. It's just small talk - Levi was bored and initiated the conversation by asking how his day was and is now telling Erwin that he's out with some friends but that the bar they're at isn't really his scene - but he's incredibly invested in it, enough that he doesn't notice right away when Petra and Hange stop talking and stare in his direction. Or at least he doesn't notice until Hange clears her throat. 

“You know,” she says, loud enough for Levi to know that she's talking to him, “Usually, you go to the bar to hang out with friends and meet people, not to sit on your phone.”

She's obviously just teasing him - the smile spread across her face says so - but Levi is only half-listening. “I don't want to meet someone,” he mutters, glancing back down at his phone to finish typing out his message without even thinking about it. 

“Yeah, obviously,” Hange teases back, “It seems like you already have.”

It's then that Levi realizes what he has said, glancing up at the two girls with wide eyes. “What?”

She doesn't repeat herself. Instead, she simply glances at Petra and grins. “Who are you texting?”

“No one,” Levi grumbles. He pulls his phone closer to his body, anticipating her reaching over the table to see his messages. 

Erwin certainty isn't  _ no one _ , but he'd rather not explain their relationship to his friends. Instead, Levi purposefully locks his phone and sets it on the table, face down. Erwin knows he's out, so he likely won't mind it if takes Levi a bit to reply. 

“ _ Really? _ ” Hange pushes, “Because the smile on your face a little bit ago said otherwise, and you  _ never  _ fucking smile.”

Petra snorts at this comment, nodding in agreement, and Levi glares in her direction. There are a few choice words he'd like to send her way, but instead he just settles with hissing, “Do you ever shut up?”

“Nope!” Hange chimes, “Come on, what’s his name? It's been a while since you've seen anyone.”

“I'm not  _ seeing  _ anyone,” Levi argues. 

“Alright, well you're talking them,” Hange insists. 

“And if I am, it's none of your damn business,” Levi bites, hoping for that to be the end of the conversation. 

But it isn't. “ _ Levi… _ ” Hange whines. 

“Come on,” Petra finally chimes in, “What's his name?”

“Holy fuck,” Levi mutters, “His name is Erwin. Are you happy?”

“Yes!” Petra exclaims. 

Meanwhile, Hange is already moving onto the next question. “ _ Erwin _ ,” she repeats, “And why haven't I met Erwin?”

“He lives in California,” Levi mutters through gritted teeth. 

“Sorry, what was that?” She asks, grinning even wider. It's kind of scary when she gets this way. 

“I said he doesn't live here,” Levi says loudly, annoyed and ready for this interrogation to end “He lives in California.”

At that, Petra chimes in, “Oh, so you're doing the long distance thing?”

“No,” Levi argues, “I'm not  _ dating _ him. I haven't even  _ met _ him.”

He immediately regrets his words, though, because it just makes Hange even more excited. Her eyes widen and her mouth drops open, first in surprise, then morphing into a wide grin. “ _Oh my god_ ,” she exclaims, “You met him online?”

“This conversation is over,” Levi mutters, shaking his head. He's already said too much. 

“Oh, no no,” Hane keeps going on, reaching across the table to try and grab Levi's phone. He's quick, but she doesn't give up. “Come on, let me see a picture of him.”

The last thing Levi wants to do is hand over his phone for Hange to examine. It'll only be a matter of time before she sees how many photos of Erwin he has saved or to dissect their conversations without his consent. But he also wants to get her off his back. 

“If I show you a photo, will you leave me the fuck alone?”

“Yeah, yeah let me see,” Hange mumbles, reaching her hands out for the phone once more.

Levi doesn't hand it over, but he does compromise by pulling Hange over to his side of the booth, opening up Snapchat and taking a quick selfie with her. She’s excitedly waving at the camera, her hand blurry in the still frame. 

Before sending the photo, Levi adds a caption:  _ “She won’t leave me alone til u send a pic.” _

Hange stays on his side of the booth, eagerly awaiting a Snapchat from Erwin, nearly giddy with excitement when it shows that he has seen Levi’s message. Thankfully, for Levi’s sanity and Hange’s well being, Erwin is quick to deliver a tasteful selife, taken in what looks like his kitchen. Is it sad that Levi knows that he’s in his kitchen? He doesn’t have a chance to think about it because Hange is snatching the phone away from him quickly. 

“Oh my god, he’s hot,” Hange exclaims, screenshotting the image before it can disappear and then showing it off to Petra who seems to agree. 

“Like, Greek god hot, holy shit,” she says. 

“Jesus, Pet,” Levi mutters, his head in his hands. This isn’t necessarily how he expected his evening to go, and he’s sure that Erwin is amused with the snapchat and will likely question him about it later. But more than that, underneath everything, Levi can’t help but feel a bit of pride, because yeah,  _ Erwin _ is attracted to him. 

“How did you do that?” Hange asks, shaking him out of his thoughts, and he wants to smack her.

“ _ He _ thought  _ I  _ was attractive, thankyouvermuch,” he bites, ripping the mixed drink out of Hange’s hand to steal a sip, deciding that she has already had too much. 

Still, she doesn’t shut up. “Holy shit,” Hange repeats, “Well, congrats.”

“ _ We’re not dating _ ,” Levi repeats for what feels like the millionth time, feeling himself blush at the thought. He should be embarrassed, because this isn’t him, he doesn’t blush over  _ guys _ , but apparently Erwin is different. For now, he blames it on the few drinks he has already consumed. 

Thankfully, Hange doesn’t seem to notice anything, though. “Uh huh, whatever,” she mutters, grabbing her drink back, “Come on, if you’re not trying to get laid, then you better wingman me.”

And with a sigh, Levi is dragged toward the bar, frantically trying to text Erwin as he walks, apologizing for his crazy friends. He knows it’s stupid and reckless and he really  _ shouldn’t _ , but he can’t help but wonder what it would be like if he  _ was _ dating him. Would it work out? Is Erwin even interested in him like that?

_ Fuck. _

* * *

 

The more that Erwin gets to know Levi, the more attached he gets, whether he wants to admit it or not. And the more that Erwin talks to Levi, the more angry he is with Nile for pretending to be him, using his photos to trick him and God knows who else. 

The thing is, Levi is more than just the pretty photos that Nile used to fool him. He’s funny, witty and sometimes rather crude, but that’s what Erwin likes about him. His mouth is just as sharp as his features, but underneath the facade, he’s caring as well, that much Erwin can tell. The way he talks about and treats his friends and roommates says that much, his actions even more so.

The same night that Levi requests a selfie from Erwin via snapchat -  _ “She won’t leave me alone til u send a pic” -  _ he continues to text and snapchat Erwin all night, documenting the night out with his friends. The night ends when Levi eventually has to call a cab and ride home with his friends, Petra and Hange, because they are both too intoxicated to get home on their own. If Erwin had to guess, Levi likely paid for it as well. 

Another time, he has to bail in the middle of a phone call because his roommate (and little sister, as Levi affectionately calls her) was walking home alone and needed someone to talk to. He may act rude and uninterested in the lives of those around them, but the fact of the matter is that Levi cares about his close friends more than most people do. He may try to hide it through jokes and dark humor, but Erwin sees right through it and he _really_  likes the person that he sees. 

When Levi calls a few days later to tell Erwin that he got the gig - that he’d be flying to Canada do shoot a photo series for a travel agency, Erwin can’t help but feel excited for him, and it’s then that he realizes how invested he is in the other man’s life. He looks forward to Levi’s phone calls, his texts and tumblr posts. He wants him to succeed in his line of work and looks forward to seeing the photos that he takes and hearing about his next assignment or photoshoot idea. 

The more Erwin talks to Levi, the more attracted to him he becomes, and not just on an emotional level either. Erwin looks forward to Levi’s occasional selfies, perfectly posed and lit, accenting his sharp features, dark hair and downturned lips. Even more, he enjoys seeing the photos that Levi’s friends post of him, candid shots of him smiling, covering his face or glaring at the camera. He would never admit it, but he also revisits those artistic nude photos on his tumblr from time to time as well. 

So one afternoon, when Levi posts something on Facebook about being in front of the camera for a change, Erwin can’t help but feel a little intrigued. He types out a quick text as soon as he has a chance, asking how his day was, and Levi replies with a simple,  _ “interesting.”  _

_ “How so?” _ Erwin asks. He tries to imagine Levi posing for the camera. How would he dress? Would it be something more high fashion or casual? Would it be artistic? He imagines how Levi’s sharp features would look like under studio lights, accented by dark shadows, and can’t wait to see the photos, however they look.

However, Levi only replies with a cryptic,  _ “you’ll see,” _ and when Erwin asks about it on the phone a day or so later, he simply laughs and mentions that it’s something he’s never done before, which only piques Erwin’s interest more. 

A few days (and no photos) later, Levi is on a plane to Canada for his assignment, and it’s then that Erwin _finally_  catches a glimpse of one of the photos. (Okay, it's more than a glimpse, if the amount of time he spends staring at it has anything to say about it.) It’s  _ only _ one photo, much to Erwin’s dismay - Levi is tagged in the image on Facebook - but it definitely explains the  _ interesting  _ part of Levi’s message. 

He’s nude, or rather he  _ looks _ nude, as the photo ends right below his hips. And at first, that’s all Erwin takes in, the way his body is stretched long and elegant, muscles taut, a trail of dark hair leading from his navel and disappearing where the image is cropped. The rest of the photo is rather stunning as well though, as Erwin realizes when he finally manages to pull his eyes away from Levi’s hips and stomach. Not only is Levi's skin tone accented beautifully by deep red and pink hues from the studio lights, his entire upper body is covered in silver glitter, from the neck down. It darkens, growing black as it travels down his arms and to his perfectly posed fingertips and _ fuck, _ he looks good.

Erwin swallows, says fuck it, and gives the photo a like on facebook, wondering if it was just a happy accident that the photo was posted now, or if Levi planned it this way, when Erwin couldn’t react in real time. That would be ridiculous though, right? Surely Levi wouldn’t care  _ that _ much what Erwin thinks of the photo, or (hopefully) any others that follow, right?

Either way, Erwin shamelessly saves the photo to his phone.

* * *

 

When Levi lands in Canada, he turns his phone on to find that he has been tagged in one of the photos from his rather risque photo shoot, and smirks to himself when he sees that Erwin has liked it. Honestly, he had felt a little uncomfortable at first, used to taking photos of himself, not being directed by another photographer, but that photographer was  _ Petra _ of all people, and not only did she help him feel at ease, but he ended up loving the photos when he saw them in camera. They were on the edgier, more risqué side, and Levi would be lying if he said he wasn't curious to see what Erwin thought of them. 

Instead of texting Erwin right away though - which he honestly wants to, even if it is embarrassing - he checks his email to find that Petra has sent him the rest of the edited images from their shoot, and he can’t help but post one of his favorites on tumblr as he waits for his luggage. 

To Levi’s dismay, Erwin doesn’t see the second photo immediately. It isn’t until Erwin logs onto tumblr later - trying to distract himself from work - that it comes up in his feed, and he’ll be damned if he doesn’t like it almost immediately, regardless of how embarrassing it may be. The second photo, posted by Levi, is significantly more sexual than the first. While he’s covered in the same glitter and bathed in the same warm hues as before, he is stripped down to nothing but simple black underwear. This time, the photo depicts his entire lean body, lying on a bed, back arching off of the mattress, head thrown back in what looks like ecstasy, mouth open, eyes closed. It’s overtly sexual, actually, and Erwin is into it. How could he not be?

He contemplates texting Levi, assuming that his flight has since landed and he is likely in his hotel room by now, but decides against it. Anything that he types, or thinks about typing out is either embarrassing or a little too forward, ranging from,  _ “Wow the photos really are interesting,” _ to a more blunt,  _ “Holy shit Levi.” _

He doesn’t say anything, though. Instead, Erwin spends about ten more minutes studying the photo - the way the boxer-briefs hug Levi’s hips and thighs perfectly, the soft curve of his lips, his exposed neck and sharp jawline, among many other things - before finally giving it a like on tumblr. He half expects a text from Levi right then and there, giving him a hard time about liking the photo, calling him a pervert or  _ something _ , but Erwin doesn’t receive anything, and chalks it up to Levi being away on business. For all he knows, Levi could have queued the photo to post and is busy or doesn’t even have service. 

So when Erwin’s phone rings nearly two hours later, he tries to pretend that he hasn’t been staring at those photos for the better part of an hour and fifty minutes and answers Levi’s call quickly. 

“Hey Levi,” he says casually. The image is still there though, Levi’s hips arching off the bed in the back of his mind. Is that what he would look like in Erwin's bed? What would he sound like? What would he feel like? 

_ Fuck. _

Erwin shakes the lewd thoughts from his head, trying to bury the image. “How was your flight?”

“It was alright,” he replies. Immediately, Erwin can tell that he sounds tired. “Took forever to get to the hotel, but it’s not bad here.”

“That’s good,” Erwin says. As he talks with Levi, he leans back on his sofa, hitting mute on the TV. "I'm excited to see the photos you take."

“Yeah,” Levi mutters, “What about you? What are you up to?”

“Just relaxing, actually,” Erwin replies.  _ Most certainly not memorizing those images of you _ . “I don’t have any work to catch up on tonight for once.”

“It’s a Christmas miracle,” Levi teases, despite the fact that it’s mid May. 

Erwin chuckles in response and then for a brief moment, it’s quiet between them. Erwin opens his mouth to say something else, to ask Levi what his plans are, where he has to be in the morning, but before he can, Levi is breaking the silence.

“So,” he says, voice careful, “What do you think of the photos?” 

Just the tone of Levi’s voice suggests that he knows that Erwin has seen them, that he’s curious to know what he thinks, and Erwin swallows. As much as he wants to tell Levi exactly what he thinks - dirty thoughts aside, he looks absolutely stunning - they haven’t necessarily crossed that line yet. Sure, they’ve flirted back and forth quite a bit, but Erwin doesn’t want to accidentally say something he shouldn’t, so he settles with a safe, “They’re nice.”

And either Levi is mind reader or he really is quite confident, because the teasing, “ _Yeah?_ ” is not what Erwin expects to hear in response. He can already feel his cheeks reddening and suddenly is glad that Levi cannot see him. 

“Yeah,” Erwin echoes, choosing his words wisely. “I understand what you meant when you said the shoot was interesting.”

Levi hums on the other end of the call. “How so?” he asks.

In the back of his mind, Erwin knows that Levi is testing the waters, trying to coax Erwin out of his shell and hear what he really thinks, but Erwin has no idea what to say. He could keep things friendly, change the subject and tease Levi, ask him how long it took to get all of that glitter off or something stupid, but he’s sure that Levi would see right through it. Even over the phone, Erwin can tell that the other man is pretty perceptive. Besides, Levi is already aware that Erwin finds him attractive - that was the whole reason they started talking to begin with. 

_ So fuck it. _ Erwin is honest. 

“You look… Really good.” It’s not very eloquent, and Erwin is sure he could have come up with plenty of other words to describe how Levi looked in those photos - stunning, hot, sexy, and erotic are a few that come to mind immediately - but he’s taking it one step at a time. And Levi seems to understand by the way he lets out a breathy, almost relieved laugh. 

“Well thanks, Erwin,” he says, an easy, teasing tone returning to his voice, “If I would have known that a little glitter would get you so worked up, I would have done it sooner.”

Erwin may be taking it one step at a time, testing the water, but Levi seems keen on diving right in, and Erwin can’t help but sputter, Levi's words taking him by surprise.  _ “W-what?” _

“Oh,” Levi murmurs, voice pitching lower, “Was it not the glitter then?”

_ Fuck _ . Just the sound of his voice...

“No. Well, I -” Erwin stammers, unsure of what to say. Levi has cornered him, caught him by surprise. It’s as if he was planning out this conversation all day long, and Erwin can only wonder what’s going through his head. 

“I personally really like how my body looked in those photos,” Levi continues, voice smooth, calm, as if this is something that he and Erwin discuss frequently, seemingly oblivious of the heart attack he is giving Erwin on the other end. He keeps talking, “I don’t normally love how I look in any of my own nudes, and-”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Erwin spits. He takes the bait. He knows very well what Levi is doing, but  _ fuck it _ . If Levi is jumping in with both feet first, then Erwin can too, right?

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Levi asks, seemingly curious, but Erwin can practically hear the smile in his voice. Now that he has taken the bait though, Erwin feels liberated. There’s no questioning what Levi wants here, what they’re talking about, so Erwin can’t help but feel a bit confident. Levi wouldn’t be talking to him like this if he weren’t at least a little bit interested, so he toys with a response. 

On one hand, Erwin wants to give Levi the answer he’s searching for, but at the same time, he doesn’t want to give in so easily, not after Levi purposely cornered him with it. It’s not fair, after all. Levi has known that Erwin was attracted to him from the beginning, but Erwin only knows for sure now that the feeling is mutual. 

So he toys with him a bit. “What do you think it means?” Erwin asks in response after a beat of silence. 

Levi hums thoughtfully through Erwin’s speaker, and Erwin really does try not to imagine him lying alone on a hotel bed, fingers running up his bare stomach as they talk, but the image is there at the sound. 

“I think it means you find me attractive,” Levi says at last. His voice is deep and Erwin can practically feel it in his bones. “But I already knew that… So I think it means you like my body.” 

Erwin opens his mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. He wants to confirm Levi’s suspicions - he likes his body very much - but Levi cuts his lewd thoughts short. 

“Hey Erwin?”

Erwin clears his throat. “Yeah?”

“Check your texts.”

“I don’t have any -” Erwin begins to say, pulling his phone away from his face slightly, but it’s at that exact moment that it vibrates with a new message from none other than Levi. Wordlessly, Erwin taps on it, and as soon as the image opens, he can’t help but gasp.

It’s Levi, of course, stretched out in position similar to that of the second photo that Erwin saw that afternoon. Only this time, he’s alone on a hotel bed and the lighting isn’t as great, but it has the same effect on Erwin. His hips are off the bed, head thrown back, shirt rucked up his stomach, and from a high angle, Erwin can only see Levi’s cheeks and chin in the corner of the photo. Other than that, it’s all his body - toned abs and thin hips. Erwin imagines holding onto them with both his hands, pressing a pliant Levi into the bed and kissing the exposed skin of his neck....

_ Fuck _ .

“What do you think?” Levi’s voice is quiet as Erwin holds the phone away from his face, but Erwin can tell that he sounds at least a little bit nervous, possibly worried that he crossed a line. And fuck, he did, but it was a line that he and Erwin have been toeing for weeks now, so Erwin can’t help his reaction, a direct reflection of his thoughts - 

“ _ Fuck _ .”

When Levi laughs, he sounds positively giddy. 

“I was right, wasn’t I?” he teases, voice light, breathy. 

“You were right,” Erwin echoes. He pulls the phone away from his face quickly to glimpse at the image once more, biting his lip. When he first began talking with Levi, he didn’t quite expect this, but he’s certainly not complaining. 

“Now you owe me,” Levi says after a beat of silence, and Erwin could  _ swear _ he sounds breathless. But maybe that’s just how he wants him to sound. 

“I  _ owe _ you?” Erwin asks.

“Are you a goddamn parrot?” Levi teases. There’s no venom in his voice, though. “Yeah, you owe me a photo since I sent you one. That’s how this works.”

Erwin huffs out a laugh. Despite his confidence, Levi sounds like a spoiled child for a moment, demanding a photo from Erwin. But who would Erwin be to deny him? “Alright, hold on,” he says. 

Erwin opens the camera on his phone, positioning it slightly above himself. He’s still wearing a white undershirt, and contemplates taking it off, but decides to tease Levi back by snapping a photo of himself in it, instead of shirtless, like the other man probably expects. 

Levi is quiet for a moment after the photo sends before huffing. “Unfair.”

“What’s unfair about it?” Erwin asks, feigning stupidity. 

“You got shirtless photos of me today,” Levi all but whines, “Three of them, to be exact. Come on, it’s only fair.”

So Erwin complies. With a smirk, he sheds his shirt, takes a quick photo from a similar angle and sends it. 

Levi sighs, seemingly in relief. “That’s better. Feel free to send two more.”

Erwin laughs in response. “I’ll think about it.”

He half expects a snarky response to his teasing, but doesn’t receive one immediately. In fact, the line goes quiet for a moment, and for a second, Erwin wonders if he lost the call, but then he hears Levi, even if it is just a sharp intake of breath. The sound of it nearly makes Erwin’s heart rate triple. 

“Levi?” he asks, tentative simply because he doesn’t want to assume anything, then come off looking like a jackass. “What are you doing?”

It’s quiet for a moment, then there’s another soft breath before Levi responds. “What do you  _ think _ I’m doing?”

Erwin gapes, despite the fact that Levi obviously can’t see him, and Levi takes his brief silence to begin speaking again. His voice pitches lower and it sends a shiver through Erwin’s body. “I’m doing what you’re too embarrassed to say you did when you saw those photos earlier,” Levi murmurs, accentuating his words with a soft gasp into the phone. There’s no questioning that he’s touching himself now, and Erwin’s cock twitches with interest at the thought of it, coupled with the soft noises that Levi is breathing into the phone. 

“You’re pretty confident, you know that?” Erwin asks, even as he reaches down with one hand, releasing the button on his pants, pressing a tentative finger against stiffening line of his cock. 

“Oh come  _ on _ ,” Levi practically whines, “Don’t tell me you don’t wanna touch yourself right now.”

The words are dangerous, something they can’t go back from, but they’re also incredibly tempting. Erwin already knows he’s going to cave, even as he sighs out a halfhearted protest. “Levi…”

“ _ Come on _ , Erwin,” Levi murmurs into the phone, “I’ll send you another photo, if it’ll get you going.”

“You don’t have to -” Erwin starts, sucking in a gasp as he begins palming himself through his pants. He should be embarrassed at how easily he caved, at the fact that he’s having phone sex with some guy he’s never even met before, but he can’t bring himself to care. This isn’t necessarily how Erwin imagined this conversation going, but he’s not complaining. And, as if on cue, his phone vibrates again, signaling another message, and Erwin is quick to look, gasping again when he lays eyes on the photo.

This time, Levi’s face is in the frame, bedroom eyes staring right into Erwin. But that’s not all that Erwin focuses on. Levi’s hips are arching off of the bed once more, only this time, he’s fully nude, hand fisting his cock, which Erwin unfortunately can’t see much of, just the tip poking out of his balled fist. 

_ “Levi _ ,” Erwin repeats, only this time, it’s nearly a moan. He holds the phone with one hand, eyes on the image on his screen while his other is quick to finish undoing his pants, pushing them and his underwear down his hips. Levi laughs breathlessly down the line. 

_ “That’s it,” _ he coaxes, “About damn time you joined me.”

Erwin is fisting his own cock now, pumping quickly, as if he has to catch up with Levi. “Oh fuck,” he murmurs, “Levi -”

“Mmm, sounds good when you say it like that,” Levi purrs down the line, “Wish I was in California instead.”

“ _ Ah _ -” Erwin gasps at the tone of Levi’s voice, at the feeling of his thumb swiping over the wet head of his cock. He imagines how Levi’s lips would feel around him, how he’d squirm on him when he couldn’t bite out teasing, snarky comments. “Me too.”

“Yeah?” Levi says, his voice interested, hopeful but breathless all the same. “What would you do if I was there?”

“ _ Levi _ …” Erwin means to say something else, but it comes out as a moan, and Levi releases an answering one down the line. 

“Come on,” he murmurs, voice sweet, thick, “Tell me. What would you do to me?”

Erwin swears under his breath, but goes along with it. He’s already desperate, getting close at this point, and he’s sure Levi is too. That, and he’s already imagining it. “I’d hold you down,” he answers, voice heavy, “Grab your hips, pin your wrists above your head… Stretch you out.”

“Mmm, like the photos,” Levi infers. 

“Yes, like the photos,” Erwin confirms. He squeezes the base of his cock, holding himself back, waiting for Levi’s response. “You look so good like that, Levi. I want to see what you’d look like underneath me.”

“Ah  _ fuck _ ,” Levi gasps, voice frantic, “Say my name again, just like that.”

_ “Levi…” _ Erwin moans. 

“Erwin,” Levi answers on a gasp, and then, the line goes quiet. Erwin can only assume why, and at the sound of Levi’s soft gasps, he can’t hold off his orgasm either, spilling onto his bare stomach. The sound of Levi gasping, moaning his name echoes around in Erwin’s head for a moment in his post-orgasmic haze until that same voice is murmuring in his ear. 

“Hey.”

“Hi,” Erwin breaths in response. Then, after a beat of silence. “So when do I get to see the rest of the photos?”

Levi laughs, and the sound of it, surprised and bright, makes Erwin smile too. 


	4. Walk Away

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _I'm too good at leaving love_  
>  _I don't wanna be_  
>  \- [Walk Away](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4r9ExwvFOI) \- LANY
> 
> First off, thank you for being so patient in between these chapters! I didn't intend to take so long on this one, but I was a little behind on writing haha. 
> 
> Also, there is now a tentative final chapter in sight, though I might extend this a little if I want to add anything else. (Like I've said on previous chapters, send me headcanons cause I'm down to write in cute things for this fic!)

In the days following their most recent phone call (and subsequent phone sex, which Erwin most certainly _does not_ replay in his head every second that he gets) Levi and Erwin don’t talk. It’s not that it’s awkward, or that they crossed some forbidden, invisible line in the sand that they shouldn’t have crossed, or anything like that, though. It’s simply because Levi is busy working, out in the Rocky Mountains shooting, likely without service, and Erwin is well aware of this - Levi forewarns him before they say goodbye that evening, and his promise to call as soon as he gets a chance goes unspoken.

So Erwin expects the radio silence from Levi’s end, but that doesn’t mean that he likes it, especially after such a defining turn in their friendship, relationship, whatever the hell it is that they have. That’s just it. Up until that moment on the phone, Erwin and Levi were simply two people who met online. Erwin would venture to call Levi a friend, and he hoped that Levi would feel the same about him, but now, things have shifted. Things are different, and Erwin doesn’t get the chance to talk to Levi about the shift in their relationship immediately, and he can’t decide if that’s a good thing or not. On one hand, it gives him a chance to think about things before they talk, but on the other, he just _really_ wants to hear Levi’s voice again (whether it’s lighthearted and teasing or low and breathy down the line).

So Erwin and Levi don’t talk for the next three days, giving things a chance to simmer, giving Erwin a chance to replay their conversation in his head a million times. He’ll be damned if he doesn’t save those photos of Levi to his phone, though, and he’ll be damned if he doesn’t get off to them a couple more time before Levi’s name finally shows up on his phone screen once more.

Three days after their most recent conversation, Levi finally texts Erwin;

_“just got back to the hotel. you miss me?”_

And Erwin wants to be embarrassed at how fast he pulls his phone from his pocket when he feels it vibrate, even in a packed crowd at a concert, but he can’t bring himself to care. It’s good to hear from Levi again, and yeah, he really did miss him. He’s sure that’s something that he should really give himself time to think about - he’s already far more invested in Levi than he ever planned on being - but the idea of talking to him immediately and texting him back right away is too tempting.

_“How was the trip?”_ Erwin replies almost immediately. Then, for good measure, he sends another text that simply reads, _“And what do you think?”_

Levi’s response comes almost as quick, and in no time, Erwin almost forgets where he is. He finds himself leaning up against the bar, completely blocking out the noise of the band playing in the background as he reads Levi’s text.

_“great. got a lot of good photos,”_ it reads. Then, almost just as fast, Levi sends another that asks, _“can I facetime you?”_

Even now, the text comes as a surprise. After someone like Nile, Erwin still can’t believe that Levi can and wants to facetime him, and in an instant, he wants nothing more than to escape from the loud venue, to drive home so he can talk to Levi. But unfortunately, he has a job to do. The band playing tonight is a client of his, and he has an interview to oversee as soon as they get off the stage.

_“I’m working a show_ , _”_ Erwin replies, even adding a sad emoji for emphasis. The last thing he wants is for Levi to think that he doesn’t want to talk to him. It’s already well past ten, but Erwin can’t help but ask, “ _Will you still be up in a couple of hours?”_

This time, Levi takes a little longer to respond, and Erwin tells himself that it certainly isn’t because he is disappointed.

_“maybe_ . _I’m pretty tired.”_

Thankfully, a second text comes through a few moments later, as Erwin searches for the right response.

_“but you can still call whenever you’re done.”_

By the time Erwin arrives home, however, it’s just past midnight, and he almost contemplates not calling Levi in favor of just shooting him a text message and talking to him in the morning, but at the last moment, decides that it’s worth a shot. If the other man is still awake, Erwin really does want to talk to him. So as soon as Erwin walks through his front door that night, he tries to facetime Levi, but to no answer.

Instead, as Erwin climbs into bed, he types out a quick message;

_“Sorry, it was a late night tonight. I’m all yours tomorrow.”_

It’s a little forward, but Erwin tells himself that he’s allowed to be, considering the turn that their last phone call took.

But ten hours later, as Erwin cooks himself breakfast, he tries not to feel disappointed by the fact that he hasn’t even received so much as a text message in response from Levi. He wants to try calling again, but stops himself. The fact of the matter is, they haven’t discussed what happened between them a few nights ago yet, and Erwin knows that he has no right to become upset when he doesn’t hear back from Levi immediately. They’re not dating, not even fucking, and Levi has no obligation to text him back immediately.

But Erwin will be damned if he doesn’t want him to.

So around noon, he sends another text message, nothing too much, just one that reads, _“I’m sorry about last night. Things went a little later than I expected. I’m free today, though.”_

Erwin isn’t surprised when he doesn’t receive a response immediately. So, an hour later, he sucks up his self-pity and decides to make plans with Mike, and by early that evening, he finds himself sitting on his sofa with his best friend, drinking his favorite craft beer and playing Mario Kart, of all things.

Of course it’s then that Erwin’s phone begins ringing from where it sits on the living room table, and he doesn’t have to look to know that it’s a facetime call from Levi.

Mike, however does look, and raises his eyebrows when he spies the name illuminating Erwin’s phone. He immediately pauses the game, shooting him a pointed look.

“You gonna get that?”

And, as embarrassing as it may be - Erwin is sure that Mike is going to give him shit once more for talking to Levi later - he dives for the phone, quickly swiping to answer Levi’s call in time.

“Hey,” he says, rising from his seat on the sofa. Levi’s face appears on the screen a few seconds later, delayed and slightly pixilated, but real nonetheless. He tries to hide his smile when he sees the other man.

“Hi,” Levi says in greeting, “Sorry I didn’t reply sooner, I flew home today.”

_Oh_. That makes sense. Of course, Erwin had worried over nothing.

“Oh,” Erwin echoes his thoughts, “How was your flight?”

“It was alright,” Levi shrugs, “What are you up to?”

“I’m actually playing Mario Kart with my friend, Mike,” Erwin answers, a slight quirk to his lips. As he speaks, he turns so the sofa and Mike are in the frame. Mike waves at the phone.

“ _Oh_ ,” Levi mutters, his eyes landing on the other person in the room, “I can let you go if you want -”

Erwin smiles apologetically. He hates that he keeps rescheduling these calls with Levi, but he also doesn’t want to be rude to his friend and guest. “Alright,” he offers, “I can call you later when -”

“Without introducing me to the _infamous_ Levi?” Mike asks, rising from his seat on the sofa to walk up behind Erwin, coming closer into frame.

Erwin sighs, unable to decide if he’s more embarrassed for himself or for Levi, whose eyes widen at Mike’s words. “Levi, this is Mike,” he says with a chuckle.

“It’s nice to finally meet you, Levi,” Mike says loudly, like an embarrassing parent. However, as painful as it may be, it allows Erwin to catch a glimpse of the vulnerable side of Levi as he blushes, sputtering, unsure of what to say in return. It’s cute, but Erwin doesn’t say so now. He’ll save those words for later, for a longer, better conversation once Mike has gone home. The rest of this phone call is rather short after that - Erwin asks Levi a few questions about his trip, but doesn’t flirt or tease as he normally would. Instead, things are short until Levi lets him go.

Before Erwin hangs up, he ends things with a hopeful, “I’ll call you later?”

To which Levi smiles reluctantly and nods. “Yeah, okay.”

And Erwin does call, almost immediately after Mike walks out the front door that night. In his hurry to call Levi back though, Erwin forgets the time difference - it’s a little after nine when he dials his number, which means it’s after midnight on the east coast - and when he calls, Levi is just getting into bed.

“I’m sorry this keeps happening,” Erwin groans, hopeful that Levi isn’t frustrated with him, “I was excited to hear about your trip.”

“It’s alright,” Levi insists, though his voice gives him away. He sounds tired. “The trip was good. Shooting was good. I have a lot of photos to edit.”

And… _Okay_. Maybe he sounds a little bit more than tired. Only a minute into the conversation, Erwin can tell that Levi seems a little annoyed, maybe a bit down about something, but he isn’t sure what. Is it the fact that they haven’t talked lately, or something else entirely? Erwin is too modest to think it is the former, but he isn’t sure if they’re close enough yet for him to be comfortable to ask if it is the latter.

But tentatively, Erwin does eventually ask, both out of concern and curiosity.

“Is everything alright?” he chances about five minutes into the phone call, when Levi continues to give him clipped, one word answers. “You sound off.”

In response, Levi goes quiet for a moment, and Erwin’s worries only increase. Did he cross a line? Was it something he did or said? What if Levi simply decided he wasn’t interested in him? What if -

“Yeah,” Levi finally says, cutting Erwin’s train of thought short. “Today was just shitty.”

Erwin furrows his brows, even though Levi can’t see him. They’re not facetiming this time around, and right now, he almost wishes they were - almost wishes he could see the look on Levi’s face to better evaluate the situation. First and foremost, Erwin’s a friend to this stranger that he met online, so he asks, “Do you want to talk about it?”

But in response, Levi simply mutters, “No, not really.”

“Alright,” Erwin replies easily. He tries not to feel hurt by Levi’s short tone and foul mood. Whatever Levi is dealing with, he isn’t obligated to share, nor does Erwin need to know. However, it quickly goes quiet on the line after that, Erwin is unsure of what to talk about. After a few moments, he decides that, whatever Levi is dealing with, he likely wants to be left alone.

“Well, it’s getting late,” Erwin says, “I can let you get to bed, if you’d like.”

What he doesn’t expect, though, is what Levi says next.

“Today is my mother’s birthday.” The words are sudden, rushed, as if someone punched them out of Levi, as if he decided to blurt them out at the very last second… As if he’s been holding them in for a while. Then, he clears his throat, reining himself in before adding in a much more controlled, vacant tone. “She passed away about ten years ago.”

_Oh_.

Whatever was bothering Levi, Erwin was not expecting _that_ , so he can’t stop the way he says,

_“Levi…”_

“I don’t want you to feel sorry for me,” Levi mutters quickly. “We’re not - I mean… You don’t have to feel responsible for me. I’m fine, it’s just a rough day is all.”

“Of course,” Erwin murmurs, “I didn’t know -”

“I know you didn’t,” Levi interrupts. “It’s cool. It’s not something I talk about. I just don’t want you to think that my mood has anything to do with what happened between us.”

Right now, that’s the furthest thing from Erwin’s mind. Instead, he can’t help but think of Levi, and how hard it likely was for him to admit this. Levi didn’t have to tell him, he didn’t owe him anything, but he felt like he needed to. And although Erwin wants to feel pleased that Levi seems to trust him enough to open up to him, he also feels terrible about the circumstances, because he knows how hard it is to lose a parent and knows just how Levi probably feels right now.

“Thank you for telling me,” Erwin murmurs in response.

Now, he can’t help but think of his own mother, of how close he is with her, only separated by a few hundred miles. He can only imagine how hard it must have been for Levi to lose his mom - he had to have only been twelve or thirteen years old. Although he lost his own father, he was in his twenties when it happened - not just a kid.

All thoughts of what happened the other night immediately go right out the window, and instead, Erwin focuses on Levi, on how much it likely took for him to open up, just a little bit, to a complete stranger, someone he’s never even met.

Or at least, that’s all he can think about, until Levi abruptly changes the subject once more.

“Speaking of which,” he says, voice careful, tentative, taking on another tone entirely, “You’re cool with what happened the other night, _right_?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Erwin assures, but his mind is elsewhere for the time being. Tomorrow, he’ll be ecstatic that Levi was the one to bring this up, but for now, he’s thinking of a younger Levi, devastated by the loss of his mother. “As long as you are.”

“ _Oh yeah_ ,” Levi’s voice slurs with sleep and a little bit of something else, and _that’s_ what it takes to eventually drag Erwin from his distracted thoughts and into present time.

It takes a moment, but eventually, Erwin offers in a teasing tone, “It sounded like it.”

“Hey, I wouldn’t be talking,” Levi bites back. “All it took was a few words and a couple of pictures to get you going.”

Erwin huffs a soft laugh. “You caught me.”

“You keep the photos?” Levi mumbles, half-awake, half-horny. Erwin can hear it in the rasp of his voice.

Erwin thinks about lying for a moment, but decides against it. If he’s learned anything about Levi so far, it’s that he’s flattered by what Erwin thinks of him. “Yeah,” he murmurs, “I did.”

Levi hums. “Good.” Then, he’s yawning, and Erwin smiles fondly, even though Levi can’t see him. This is good - this conversation, this phone call. It’s something Erwin needed, and likely something Levi needed, too.

“I should probably be getting to sleep,” Levi says, breaking the silence, “I have a shoot tomorrow morning.”

“Behind the camera this time?” Erwin teases lightly.

Levi chuckles softly in return. “Yeah, unfortunately.”

“I should probably get to bed as well,” Erwin says then, a smile on his face. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow, Levi. Have sweet dreams.”

Levi hums in response, a soft, happy sound. “You too.”

* * *

 

“So are you dating, or what?” Mike asks Erwin, about a week after he officially “meets” Levi via facetime in Erwin’s living room. He and Erwin are grabbing drinks with a few friends after work, but the second they have a moment alone, Erwin’s friend takes it as a chance to bombard him with questions he has likely been holding back since that evening.

Erwin chuckles at Mike’s forwardness. “No, we’re not dating.” He doesn’t elaborate, doesn’t say anything more in favor of taking a drink of his beer. He’s sure Mike has more questions for him, so he simply waits.

“How often do you talk to him?” Mike asks, right on cue.

“I don’t know… A few times a day,” Erwin says, a lie. They usually text throughout the day, call or facetime if they have the free time. Since Levi returned home from Canada, Erwin has taken to sending _good morning_ text messages, to which Levi usually snarkily replies with, _“Good afternoon_.” They’re not dating, but Erwin would be lying if he said there wasn’t a spark between them.

Mike smirks. “You’re a bad liar.”

“And you’re unusually curious today,” Erwin shoots back with a smile.

Mike opens his mouth to say something in response, likely something snarky, but just as he does, Erwin feels his phone vibrate in his pocket. He knows he shouldn’t react now - he’s sure if he pulls his phone out to a text message from Levi right now, Mike will never let him hear the end of it - but before he even thinks about it, Erwin pulls it out and glances down at the screen. Only, it isn’t a notification from Levi that illuminates his phone screen in the dim bar, but another name that he recognizes, unfortunately.

_Nile Dok sent you a friend request._

And Erwin can’t help but gape. At his side, Mike chuckles, unaware of what Erwin has just read. “Speak of the devil. Is that him?”

All Erwin can do in response is shake his head and thrust the phone towards Mike, who seems just as surprised to see the name as Erwin. “Isn’t that the guy -”

“It is,” Erwin says in disbelief. “It’s been months, I can’t believe -”

“No wonder he was using someone else’s photos,” Mike mutters at Erwin’s side, cutting Erwin’s thoughts short. He has Erwin’s phone in his hands now, and is swiping through Nile’s profile, more importantly, his pictures. When Erwin doesn’t say anything in response, just looks on with Mike at an unfamiliar face with dark hair and a goatee, his friend turns to him. _“You aren’t going to add him, are you?”_

Erwin sighs. He takes his phone back from Mike, shoving it in his pocket in an attempt to forget about this new development. “I don’t know,” he mutters. “I’m not interested in him at all -”

“Because you have a new boyfriend,” Mike supplies, then slinks down when Erwin shoots him a look. “ _Sorry._ ”

“ _But_ I would like to hear what he has to say for himself.”

Mike simply pats him on the back, a smile returning to his face. “Good luck with that,” he says encouragingly, “Come on, let’s not think about that right now.”

But really, it’s all Erwin can dwell on.

For the next day, Erwin lets the friend request sit there, unanswered, unsure what to do or say. It’s not that he’s still hung up on the other man, but he’d be lying if he said they didn’t have a connection in those months that they did talk. But it’s nothing like he and Levi have now, that’s for damn sure.

_And_ , as Erwin discovers, swiping through his photos later that night, Nile really isn’t his type at all. That, and he lied about who he was. Part of Erwin wants to delete the request and pretend the other man never existed, but another part of him, the more prominent part - and what makes Erwin who he is - wants to see the good in people. It’s both one of his strengths and one of his greatest weaknesses.

Above everything, he’s curious what Nile has to say for himself, so after a day of letting the request sit there, he hits accept, and almost immediately receives a message from the other man.

_“Hey Erwin,_

_I’m sure you likely don’t want to hear from me after everything I put you through, but I just wanted to send you a message and apologize for everything. I realize now that what I did was pretty fucked up. I’m also sure that you don’t want to see or have anything to do with me, but I will be in California for a few days next week, and if you’ll have me, I’d like to get coffee and clear the air._

_Nile.”_

Immediately upon recieving the message, Erwin almost dials Levi’s number to tell him of the recent development, but hesitates, and ultimately decides against it. It’s not that he wants to lie to Levi (his _not-_ boyfriend, he reminds himself) but he also doesn’t want to worry him. If Erwin decides to meet up with Nile, it will be strictly platonic. Hell, Erwin wouldn’t even consider it friendly. He isn’t interested in Nile - obviously has his sights set on a certain someone on the other side of the country - and he doesn’t want to give Levi any indication that he might be.

So, Erwin doesn’t tell Levi about Nile, about the fact that he contacted him on Facebook, or the fact that he accepted Nile’s invitation and made plans to meet up with him the following week to “clear the air,” as he put it.

And for the next week, things return to normal. Erwin and Levi continue to talk on the phone regularly, text one another frequently, and even exchange a risque photo or two as well. Levi even facetimes Erwin once, right after stepping out of the shower, and Erwin will be damned if he doesn’t take a screenshot of the other man, dripping wet hair, bare chest and all. ( _“Don’t act like I don’t know what you just did,”_ Levi teases, pushing his damp hair up and out of his eyes.)

In fact, the morning before Erwin is set to meet up with Nile at a coffee shop only a few miles away from his house, he toys with the idea of having a rather serious talk with Levi - Mike’s words from the bar are beginning to get to him - but he decides against it. At the very least, Erwin would like to at least meet Levi in person before asking the man to become “official,” but fuck, does he want it. Erwin looks forward to good morning text messages, to Levi’s crass sense of humor and snarky responses. He looks forward to seeing new work from the photographer on his instagram or tumblr, and he cherishes the sleepy tone in Levi’s voice when they talk in the evening before saying goodnight. When he closes his eyes, he can almost picture the other man next to him.

But then, in the blink of an eye, that all comes to a screeching halt.

Erwin could spot Nile from a mile away, sitting alone outside of the coffee shop, and Nile seems to see him almost immediately as well, rising from his seat to awkwardly greet him. The meeting, which is over in under an hour is sufficiently awkward for both men, but it isn’t _bad_ by any means.

“I honestly didn’t think it would go that far,” Nile admits a few minutes into their conversation, “I have to admit, I was a little relieved when it was over. It was a lot to keep up with.”

Erwin huffs a laugh. “I can imagine.”

_“ But,”_ Nile continues, “I truly did value our relationship, Erwin. That wasn’t a lie.”

Erwin takes a deep breath. This was the moment that he has been dreading. It’s not that Nile necessarily came here to win him back, but -

“That means a lot,” he says, “But I am seeing someone, Nile.”

And _fuck_ does that feel good to say. It’s not official - _hell_ , Erwin hasn’t even talked to Levi about it at all - but it may as well be. Erwin isn’t interested in dating anyone else, in seeing anyone else. He looks forward to talking to Levi more than anyone he has ever dated, Nile included. And it’s in that moment that Erwin decides that maybe, he _should_ have this discussion with Levi. Although it feels good to say to Nile, Erwin _would_ like to call Levi his boyfriend, even if they haven’t _officially_ met yet.

That, and a sick part of Erwin feels good when he sees Nile’s face fall at his words.

“I understand,” Nile says, nodding. “Thank you for giving me the chance to explain, though.”

“Of course,” Erwin replies, “I’m happy to be your friend, Nile. But nothing more.”

And that’s how they leave it. About twenty minutes later, Nile and Erwin part ways, and on his walk back to his car, Erwin resolves that this evening, he’ll have the talk with Levi that he’s been nervous about for longer than he cares to admit.

As soon as Erwin arrives home, he pulls his phone out of his pocket to dial Levi’s number, but is distracted by a facebook notification from Nile, of all people. It’s a simple status that he has been tagged in, and something that Erwin doesn’t think much of until much later.

A few minutes later, Erwin tries calling Levi, and when it goes straight to voicemail, again, he thinks nothing of it. Levi had mentioned that he would be shooting all day, and it’s very likely that his phone could have died. However, when he doesn’t hear from Levi the rest of the evening, not even after sending a text asking how his day was, Erwin begins to worry.

The next morning, like usual, Erwin texts Levi.

_“Good morning! I hope yesterday went well. Call me when you get a chance.”_

Almost immediately, he receives a message in response.  

_“yesterday was fine. just busy.”_

It’s short, disconnected and not Levi’s usual way of talking, and immediately, it raises red flags, but again, Erwin tries not to dwell much on it. The last time he thought Levi was upset with him, the other man was dealing with a particularly tough day, and for good reason. So Erwin tries not to take it personally.

Instead, Erwin waits until much later to text Levi once more.

_“If you have time, I’m free all night. We should facetime.”_

And for an hour, the message goes without a response, until finally Levi replies with, _“I’m busy.”_

And then, not even a minute later and before Erwin can think to type out a response Levi sends another text.

_“say hi to Nile for me.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so, so sorry for a kind of cliffhanger here! I promise that this is about as angsty and dramatic as this fic will get! I also hope to have the next chapter up fairly quick because I really don't want to make you guys suffer and wait haha


	5. Holding You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _What am I holding on to? I should be holding you_  
>  _Thinking 'bout how I want you doing those things you do_  
>  _You're all I ever need, baby, I lost you, now I see_  
>  _What am I holding on to? I should be holding you_  
>  \- [Holding You](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3PLEQwh0ts) \- Great Good Fine OK
> 
> I looooooved writing this chapter! I hope you all enjoy it! Also, I've extended this story a little bit! It was originally going to be 11 chapters, but now it's 13.
> 
> <3

It’s not that Levi is snooping. In fact, he rarely spends much time on Facebook, but shortly after arriving home from a photo shoot and while he waits for a frozen pizza to cook (yeah, he’s so healthy) he finds himself scrolling through his newsfeed mindlessly, looking for something to catch his attention. And unfortunately, that's exactly what he finds.

Levi almost scrolls past the status that Erwin is tagged in, but as soon as he sees his name, he pauses. Normally, Levi would feel embarrassed at the way his heart rate doubles at the thought of Erwin or the fact that he  _ had _ to stop scrolling at the sight of his name, but then Levi sees _ who _ exactly tagged Erwin, and suddenly, his heart plummets.  _ Nile Dok _ . The name is both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time, but it only takes Levi a second to remember where he recognizes it from.

_ Your name isn’t actually Nile by any chance, is it? _

Initially, Levi tells himself that there has to be more than one Nile in the world, and more than one that Erwin knows, but the nature of the Facebook post is what tells him otherwise. It reads:

_ It was great getting to finally meet and hang out with Erwin today. Can’t wait to do it again! _

It sounds innocent enough, but it only takes a few seconds before Levi begins to read into it too much. If Erwin had been planning on meeting up with Nile -  _ the _ Nile - then why didn’t he say anything? Levi considered them to be pretty good friends - hell, Levi talks to him more than he talks to many of his friends who actually live in New York - and one would think that Erwin would want to tell him about such an interesting development in his life,  _ right _ ? If there was nothing to hide, Erwin would have told Levi, especially considering the recent developments in their relationship. Right?

For a day, Levi dwells on it more than he probably should. Shortly after Levi sees the Facebook post, Erwin calls, and as much as he wants to just answer and ask him about it like an adult, Levi does what he does best and ignores the problem, letting his phone ring and ring until it goes to voicemail. He realizes that in all likelihood, he’s just making matters worse by not being upfront with Erwin and asking about it, but he also rationalizes that if Erwin wanted him to know about his meeting with  _ Nile _ , he would have said something. And anyway, it’s not like they’re dating. He doesn’t owe Levi shit.

But still, over the course of the next day, Levi dwells on that status, on Nile and Erwin and this recent development more than he probably should. And while he dwells on it, Levi just grows more and more frustrated and confused, and subsequently angry. As time passes and Levi ignores a few text messages from Erwin, he thinks about it more, and that short, nineteen word status is burned into his brain. 

Levi doesn’t want to feel self-conscious about this, nor does he want to be as upset as he is, but he can’t help it, because whether he likes to admit it or not, over the past few months he has certainly developed feelings for Erwin. He has shared quite a bit with Erwin, both emotionally and intimately, and if Erwin didn’t tell him that he was talking to Nile again - or for all Levi knows, has been talking to him this entire time - then honestly, he feels betrayed. Although Erwin doesn’t know every tiny detail about Levi’s life, and although they aren’t officially  _ together _ by any means, a thought that makes Levi so anxious he feels sick, he’d like to think they at least have a mutual trust and respect for one another.

But as the day goes on, Levi can’t help but wonder if all of this didn’t mean that much to Erwin, afterall. Maybe the innocent, heartbroken thing was just a front. Maybe, Erwin has just been playing him all along, and Levi fell right into his trap. Even though that seems unlikely, anything is possible. The fact of the matter is, Levi has never even met this guy, and that has become clear as day now. 

Afterall, this whole thing started  _ because _ of Nile - that goat-faced looking motherfucker. (Not that Levi stalked his Facebook profile at all.) Hell, one of Erwin’s initial messages to Levi said,  _ “I think I fell in love with someone pretending to be you.” _

_ Love. _

Over the course of the past few months, he thought that he and Erwin had built  _ something, _ or at least he hoped so, but he’s also not stupid or niave enough to call it love. And fuck, if Erwin could have Nile, the real thing, in the flesh, then why would he still want someone like Levi?

Levi tells himself that he’s not going to say anything to Erwin. Maybe, it would just be best if they had a clean break, if Levi just cut him off completely. But to Levi’s dismay, Erwin continues to text him as if nothing is wrong - as if nothing has changed. And honestly, that just infuriates Levi more, so finally, he says something. Erwin asks to facetime later, and although it sounds tempting - Levi almost wants to see the look on Erwin’s face when he brings up the subject of Nile - he’s also scared. Scared that Erwin will coax him into forgiving him. Scared that Erwin will have an excuse planned out, something that will convince Levi that he’s in the wrong. Most of all, he’s scared that he won’t be able to say  _ anything _ once he sees Erwin’s face.

So instead, Levi does it over text. It’s childish and immature, but he doesn’t care. 

_ “say hi to Nile for me.” _

Not even thirty seconds after the  _ delivered _ receipt appears underneath Levi’s text, his phone begins to vibrate in his hands, Erwin’s name illuminating his screen, and Levi feels sick to his stomach. He expected a reaction, an apology or an attempted explanation, but the phone call comes as a surprise. On reflex, Levi wants to answer. Honestly, he wants to hear what Erwin has to say for himself, but another part of him, the part that has been lied to and fucked over too many times has had enough.

Levi steels himself, and instead of answering, he lets it ring until it goes to voicemail. And afterward, Levi lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, his fingers wrapped tightly around his phone. He didn’t expect this to be so difficult, but he also didn’t expect to develop feelings for some guy who lived on the other side of the country. Some guy, who up until recently, gave Levi no reason not to trust him.

Just as those thoughts run through Levi’s head, his phone begins to ring once more, and he doesn’t even have to look down to know who it is. This time, instead of tempting himself with the idea of answering, Levi hits ignore straight away, sending it to voicemail, and does it a second time when Erwin immediately tries calling again. 

After that third call, though, Levi’s phone finally falls silent, and he’s not sure what hurts him more - the situation as a whole, or the fact that Erwin gave up so easily. Either way, Levi doesn’t think before he tosses his phone across the room, not even wincing when it hits his wall with a loud  _ bang _ .

It’s not fair. Levi shouldn’t feel this hurt and betrayed over someone he’s never even met - someone he’s only been talking to for a few months. He should have known better, should have never given Erwin his phone number in the first place, but he did, and now he has learned his lesson the hard way.

* * *

 

Over the course of the next day, Erwin continues to reach out to Levi. He doesn’t do so excessively, for fear of coming off too strong, but he does call again the next morning, unsurprised when it rings once before going to voicemail, and eventually, sends Levi a text message in hopes that maybe, he’ll get through to him.

At first, Erwin doesn’t quite understand what Levi means by the text -  _ say hi to Nile for me  _ \- but then, it hits him like a truck, and he doesn’t know how he could have been so stupid. 

Of course, Levi is under the impression that Erwin is seeing Nile. After all, their first interaction was because Nile was catfishing Erwin with Levi’s pictures. Hell, Erwin had told Levi that he was  _ in love _ with the guy - a ludicrous thought now, looking back on it. But in an instant, he completely understands Levi’s apprehension and his anger, not to mention his reason for avoiding Erwin for the past day and ignoring him now.

Over the past few weeks, especially since Levi’s trip to Canada, it has become fairly clear that both men have feelings for one another. Erwin has stopped trying to hide it, and Levi has really come out of his shell. He has shared a lot with Erwin over the past few months, and Erwin has done the same, so it only makes sense that the other man would feel betrayed, but the fact of the matter is, Erwin  _ didn’t  _ betray him. He even told Nile that he was seeing someone and had fully intended on having that discussion with Levi before shit hit the fan. Now, he’s kicking himself for not doing it sooner, because maybe, if Levi knew for certain that Erwin was interested in him, and exclusively him, he wouldn’t be as angry as he is now. Or maybe, it would be worse.

Either way, Erwin tries to break through the radio silence on Levi’s end, but to no avail, and after sending one last text message, he decides that if Levi wants an explanation, he’ll come to him. So he leaves it at that.

_ “Levi, I understand why you’re upset with me, and I know I should have told you sooner that I was speaking with Nile, but I promise you that it’s nothing serious. I really would appreciate the chance to explain myself, if you’ll have me.”  _

Some part of Erwin, a naive side of him, hopes that Levi will give him a chance, hopes to see a little ellipses appear next to his name or receive a phone call from him, but he should have known better. A few minutes pass and discouraged, Erwin deposits his phone on the kitchen counter and doesn’t touch it again for hours, until he’s heading to bed. With one last shred of hope, he checks it as he walks down the hallway - maybe he didn’t hear a text message or a call - but there’s nothing. And for the next week, that remains the same.

Erwin doesn’t text or call Levi again and Levi doesn’t reach out, either. And as Erwin reads over their last messages sent to one another, he feels a pit of dread and a sense of finality settling in his stomach. Whatever he and Levi had before, it is likely gone now, overshadowed by distance, misunderstanding and self-doubt. Erwin should have just told Levi how he felt, but on the flip side, Levi should have given him the chance to explain himself. They’re both in the wrong, and there’s nothing that can be done to remedy the situation. If Levi won’t talk to him, it’s not like Erwin can march up to his front door and demand to be heard. In fact if he could, they wouldn’t be in this situation right now. 

It isn’t right and it doesn’t feel like it should be over yet, before it really began, but as the week continues on - time doesn’t stop just because Erwin’s world feels like it has - it becomes more and more real. 

And the irony of it all? Just as the week comes to a close, shortly after Erwin finally convinces himself to stop looking at their text messages but not before he brings himself to delete the photos of Levi and  _ long _ before he even thinks of unfriending or unfollowing him, Erwin receives an opportunity to fly to New York with one of his clients for a press day and a one-off concert. Under any other circumstances, Erwin would be ecstatic - this is his chance to finally meet up with Levi! - but he only feels bitter irony at the news. He’ll be in New York City, but he won’t be there to see Levi. In fact, the other man wants nothing to do with him.

At first, Erwin isn’t sure if he wants to take the job. His boss offers it to him at the end of the day on Wednesday, and Erwin has to make a decision by first thing Thursday morning in order to make arrangements to fly out early on Saturday, and honestly, he almost says no right off the bat. He’s not sure what stops him from doing so, but on Wednesday night, Erwin finds himself sitting at home alone, considering it. It’s funny, in a fucked up way, because a week ago, he would have leapt at the opportunity, but now, he just feels a sick sense of regret and frustration at the thought of it. A week ago, flying out to New York meant meeting Levi for the first time, getting to see him, touch him, kiss him. But after nearly a week of radio silence, he is certain that he won’t hear from the other man, even if he does let him know that he’ll be in town.

However, despite all of this, at one in the morning, Erwin makes his decision, and before he can talk himself out of it, he’s sending one more text message - one last ditch effort - to Levi. 

_ “I’m going to be in New York this weekend for an event,”  _ he writes,  _ “If you’re free, I would love to see you. I have guest list spots for you and your friends if you would like to come, too.”  _

The next morning, Erwin awakes with hope that maybe, Levi has reconsidered. Maybe, he’ll jump at the chance to see the person he’s been speaking with for once - maybe he’ll give him a chance to explain himself. But those hopes die the second that Erwin checks his phone.

_ Nothing _ . 

Two days later, Erwin still hasn’t heard from Levi, but finds himself on an early flight to New York.

* * *

 

Levi’s heart nearly jumps out of his chest when he first reads the text message. 

_ I’m going to be in New York this weekend. _

_ I’m going to be in New York. _

Erwin is going to be in the same state as him for an entire weekend. A month ago - hell, even a week ago - Levi would have jumped at the opportunity to see Erwin, to finally meet him, but now…

Fuck, even now, Levi feels anxious and nervous and excited at the idea of seeing Erwin, but he shoves those hopes down, reminding himself what happened the last time he got too close. He hasn’t spoken to Erwin since he sent that last message, and honestly, he didn’t plan to, but this… This changes things. Or well, it should.

_ Fuck _ .

He doesn’t know. 

He wants to give Erwin another chance, but Levi isn’t stupid. He knows how easy it would be for someone on the other side of the country to lie to him. Even if he did meet up with Erwin and he had a perfectly reasonable excuse for not telling him about Nile, Levi isn’t sure if he’d still be able to trust him. On one hand, Levi wants to forgive Erwin, wants to hear him out and meet up while he’s in town for the weekend - because  _ of course _ it had to happen at the worst possible time, he couldn’t have gotten the opportunity when they were on good terms - but in the end, Levi doesn’t respond to the message. He chickens out, decides it’s not worth the risk, and tries to ignore the fact that the weekend is quickly approaching, that Erwin will be in the same city as him soon, but he won’t be able to see him. 

Then, two days later, Levi receives another unexpected text message from Erwin. This time, it’s simple. 

_ “I put your name on the guest list for tomorrow night. There are a few tickets, if you’d like to bring Farlan and Isabel.” _

Then below, is the name of the venue and the address, which surprisingly, is only a twenty minute walk from Levi’s apartment. Of fucking course. 

Levi knows the second that he receives the text message that he’ll be attending the show, despite his resolve and his pride and his hurt feelings. Above everything, he wants to see Erwin, even if he may not have the guts to actually approach the other man.

Levi doesn’t reply to that text message either, but two days later, he finds himself walking up to a rather busy looking box office alone, hoodie pulled tight around his body, camera heavy around his neck underneath it. And sure enough, when Levi flashes the woman at the box office his ID, she produces an envelope for him, his name written neatly across the front. Inside are three tickets. 

For a moment, Levi stares down at the envelope, studying the handwriting scrawled across the front of it. He thought about bringing Farlan and Isabel, or even Hange and Petra along with him tonight, but ultimately, decided against it. Not only would it have just been confusing to explain to his friends or roommates -  _ so, I was sort of seeing this guy I met online, but we haven’t talked in a week and now he invited me to this show, but I don’t know if I even want to see him -  _ but he’s not even sure if he’ll even talk to Erwin or stay all night. 

Instead, Levi arrives alone, and when he spies two kids standing outside, looking around the sold-out building for a glimpse of their favorite band, he approaches them, tickets in hand. They young, excited kids nearly have a heart attack when he offers the free tickets to them and refuses to take their money, thanking him over and over again, and he simply smiles before heading inside. 

Levi hasn’t been to a proper concert in a long time, and hasn’t been to a sold out show in even longer, so he starts his night at the bar, and spends the majority of the show toward the back of the venue, leaning up against the wall and nursing a gin and tonic. From where he stands in the back of the room, Levi can survey the majority of the crowd, and as the venue fills out and the first band takes the stage, he keeps an eye out for blonde hair, a sharp jawline… something, anything. His mind wanders, and he finds himself wondering what Erwin would wear to something like this. Obviously, he’s here to work, but Levi assumes that he’d only look like an asshole in a suit at a concert. Would he be dressed down, in jeans and a simple band t-shirt, like the majority of twenty or thirty something’s here? 

As Levi scans the crowd and ignores the opening act, he tries not to feel disappointed when he doesn’t spy Erwin’s face. 

_ Maybe you won’t even see him _ , he tells himself. Hell, Erwin doesn’t even know he’s here. Sure, he could see if the tickets have been picked up from the box office, but he likely has bigger things to worry about. That, and Lev never replied to his message. Erwin probably isn’t expecting him. 

Levi can’t decide if that thought upsets him or not. 

As the first band finishes playing and the second act begins to set up, Levi is on his second drink, and he’s contemplating leaving before the headliner even goes on. Standing at the back of the room has gotten old, and now, he’s seated at the bar, watching the second band with disinterest. And he tells himself it’s not because the bar is better lit - that  _ maybe _ , Erwin will see him sitting here - but he knows it’s true. 

_ One more drink _ , he tells himself, as the headlining band finishes setting up and gets ready to take the stage. He’ll watch a couple of songs, maybe take a couple of photos if they have pretty stage lights, and then go home. 

Instead, Levi stays for the entire show, and later, he’ll tell himself that it’s not because he was hoping to see Erwin, but because the headlining band - Erwin’s client, who he flew out here to work for - is incredible. Not only does the synth-pop group sound amazing, but their light show is spectacular - everything that the photographer in Levi dreamt of. 

Two songs in, and Levi abandons his drink to venture through the packed crowd, just a little closer to the stage to get a better view and snap a couple of photos with the mirrorless camera that he brought along with him. The music is the perfect blend of passionate and sensual, slow at times but also still upbeat, poppy and catchy, and it has Levi bobbing his head along after he takes a couple of photos. After another song, his camera hangs forgotten at his side while he enjoys the music along with those around him.

And that’s when he finally sees him.

In between songs, when the mood lighting lifts a little and Levi glances around the crowd, he almost overlooks him, but his eyes are immediately drawn to Erwin. At first, he doesn’t believe it - in fact, he has to do a double-take - but then there’s Erwin, standing side stage, leaning to the side to whisper something in a stage hand’s ear. The crew member, an older woman, chuckles and shoves playfully at Erwin before returning her gaze to the stage, and Erwin’s own eyes follow, a smile lingering on his lips. But that’s not the only thing that Levi takes in, standing only a few yards away from the man he’s been speaking to for months now, finally in the flesh. 

Erwin’s hair is professional and slicked to the side, much like the majority of photos of him that Levi has seen - the public ones, at least, not the private ones that Erwin has sent to him - and he’s even more beautiful in person. Aside from a smile that could light up the room, Erwin holds himself tall, confident and poised. He wears a simple, blue button down shirt, the sleeves rolled up to the elbows, showing off his toned forearms, and when he laughs, Levi’s heart lurches. For a split second, he wants nothing more than to approach Erwin - there’s even a clear line of sight between them - but he can’t. 

He can’t, because what the fuck is he supposed to say? Erwin is in his element here, standing backstage, watching his client dazzle the crowd with a smile on his face. When another crew member approaches and taps him on the shoulder, Erwin embraces them in a hug. This is obviously where he belongs, and Levi certainly does not. That, and what the hell would he even say? He hasn’t responded to any of Erwin’s messages in nearly a week. For all the other man knows, he isn’t even here. 

So Levi remains invisible. Instead, he remembers the camera at his side and grabs for it quickly, on impulse, zooming and focusing. He snaps a quick photo of Erwin, just as the band launches into another song and he smiles with pride, then Levi retreats to the bar once more. 

In the end, Levi doesn’t stay for the entire show. Just as the band returns to the stage for their encore, he watches as Erwin retreats backstage, away from view, and he takes that as his cue to leave as well. Honestly, he decides to go in that moment in hopes of catching a glimpse of Erwin - maybe he stepped outside, maybe they’ll run into one another in some twist of fate - but as Levi walks away from the venue, the music quickly disappearing into the night, he doesn’t find Erwin. Instead, he just finds quiet and darkness.

* * *

 

Erwin doesn’t know what he expected.

The press day and following concert went flawlessly - the show was sold out and the band totally killed it, which was great considering that the show was live streaming on a fairly popular local blog - but honestly, that’s not what he was most concerned about when he landed in New York. Although his job came first, he had been hoping to hear from Levi, but when he texted the other man to tell him that he would be on the guest list, he heard nothing in return. 

It’s not that Levi owes him anything, but a small, hopeful part of Erwin thought that maybe, he’d at least give him a shot. Everything else aside, they had - they  _ have  _ \- a connection. None of that was fake, and Erwin is dying to finally see Levi, to finally meet him in person. But Levi doesn’t respond to his message, and he doesn’t push.

If he shows, he shows. 

But the concert passes, Erwin finishes working press for the day, and when he checks his phone, he hasn’t heard from Levi. In one last ditch effort, Erwin stops by the box office after the show to see if he stopped by to pick up his tickets, but by the time he does, the door is closed and locked. 

Later that night, Erwin steps into his hotel room alone, defeated and disappointed. 

Hindsight is twenty-twenty, and right now, he wishes he could go back in time, that he could call Levi and tell him about Nile, but in the same breath admit his feelings for Levi. As terrifying as it would have been - who knows, maybe Levi would have rejected him - Erwin wishes that he just would have been honest, that he would have told Levi how he felt - that he wanted to be with him, and only him. 

But it’s hard. It’s hard when you’ve never met - when you’ve texted and called and facetimed but have never talked to one another face to face, when you’ve never touched or met or held one another.

And it’s with these regrets that Erwin gets on a plane on Monday morning and flies back to California. As soon as the plane takes off, it feels like the end of a chapter. Time to move on. 

So Erwin isn’t sure what possesses him to log onto tumblr a few hours after arriving home, as he relaxes in bed with his laptop and a glass of well-deserved wine. He’s certain that he’ll see something of Levi’s, simply because he’s been too scared to unfollow or unfriend him and really put that nail in the coffin, and sure enough, after a few minutes of scrolling and liking a few posts, Erwin comes across Levi’s username. What he doesn’t expect to see, though, are the photos that he has posted. 

Underneath Levi’s name are two very vibrant, beautifully edited photos from a concert, one taken from up close, the other from the back of the venue, the stage lights illuminating the walls, ceiling and the crowd. And Erwin  _ knows _ that venue, because he was just there. 

The caption reads,  _ “Went to a cool show this weekend. Snuck the camera in.” _

Erwin feels his pulse quicken. Hope rises in his chest, but he’s not naive enough to hold onto it.  

So Levi had been there. He had taken him up on the tickets, but didn’t reply to his messages. The beautiful photos raise even more questions than Erwin already had, and although he doesn’t want to seem desperate or get his hopes up, in one last ditch effort, he dials Levi’s number. 

Only this time, after only three rings, Levi answers, and Erwin honestly doesn’t know what to feel when he hears his voice. On one hand, he wants to be relieved. Levi wouldn’t have answered if he wanted nothing to do with him - he would simply continue to ignore him. He must have known that Erwin would eventually see the photos, and maybe that’s what he wanted. But it’s with that thought that Erwin can’t help but feel frustrated and hurt. He invited Levi to the show in hopes that he'd finally be able to meet him, and Levi went, but he didn’t tell him. He and Levi were in the same fucking building, but Erwin had no idea. 

“Hello?” Levi answers, his tone even, smooth, and Erwin wants to yell at him, but he also wants to confess everything, wants to apologize for not being honest and take the blame so they can move on. But he does none of those things. 

Instead, Erwin says, “You came to the show.” It isn’t a question and it isn’t accusatory. It’s simply a statement. They might as well get down to it, as Erwin is sure that Levi knows why he’s calling. 

Levi takes a breath before answering. “I did.”

And there are a million questions that Erwin wants to ask, but he also knows that he’s walking on eggshells. So he asks, “What did you think?”

“They were good,” Levi replies, “I wasn’t expecting that.”

Normally, Erwin would tease him, say something along the lines of, “ _ What, you don’t trust my taste in music?” _ but now isn’t the time for that. 

Instead, Erwin asks, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Levi sighs on the other end. For a moment, it’s quiet, but when he speaks, it’s like he’s letting out a breath he’s been holding for a while. “I don’t fucking  _ know _ , Erwin. Cause I was worried that you didn’t want to hear from me? I was worried you wouldn’t want me there? I don’t know.”

“That’s all I wanted when I was in New York,” Erwin counters, his brows drawn, a deep frown creasing his face. Why would Levi think he didn’t want to see him? “I wouldn’t have invited you if I didn’t want that.”

“Well then I was scared,” Levi bites in response, “ _ Fuck _ , I don’t know, okay?”

His voice trembles when he speaks, like he’s upset, uncertain. Erwin hesitates before asking, “Why would you be scared?”

Levi huffs out a humorless, bitter laugh. “Because I’m just some kid with a camera who lives in a shitty apartment in New York,” he mutters, “I don’t fucking know… Cause you’re this big shot publicist, hanging out backstage and I don't even -”

“ _ You saw me _ ?” Erwin interrupts, eyes wide at Levi’s admission. Had Levi seen him when he was standing backstage? Was he really that close, and Erwin didn’t notice?

Levi goes quiet in response, and Erwin knows that he has his answer. Levi saw him, but didn’t approach him. They were so close, but Erwin might as well have been another world away.  

“ _ Levi _ -” he starts, but is cut off. 

“I didn’t know what to do!” Levi yells, exploding. Everything that he has been holding back seems to come out. “What the fuck was I supposed to say? I figured you’d be pissed that I hadn’t responded and didn’t want me there, and  _ fuck _ , Erwin… That you don’t want to be with me and -”

“Why wouldn’t I want that?” Erwin asks immediately. Levi’s words raise awareness to many insecurities and fears, but it’s that last one that Erwin really hears. He wants to thrill at the fact that Levi might actually want to _be_ _with him_ \- at least, that's what he was insinuating - but that's a conversation for another time. 

“ _ I don’t know _ ,” Levi groans, exasperated, “Maybe because you finally got to meet  _ Nile _ .”

And there it is. This is the moment Erwin has been waiting for. He wanted to be able to explain, and this is his chance.

“Levi, that was nothing. I hadn't even spoken to him in months, since I found out.”

“Then why the fuck would you even meet up with him?” he bites, “He fucked you over. You’re really gonna give someone like that a chance?”

“I try to see the best in other people,” Erwin attempts to explain, hoping that Levi understands. “He apologized to me, and I wanted to give him a chance to tell his side -”

He hears Levi sigh on the other end, but keeps talking.

“Not a chance to  _ be with me _ , Levi. It’s not because I’m still interested in him. I don’t want to be with him.”

For a moment, the line goes quiet. Erwin thinks that Levi has hung up on him, but when he glances at his phone, he is still on the line. And just when Erwin opens his mouth to ask if he’s still there, Levi finally speaks. 

“Okay,” he mutters, but he sounds defeated, like he doesn’t quite believe Erwin, but he doesn’t want to argue anymore. “It’s fine. It’s not like I have any room to be angry, anyway. It’s not like -”

“I told him I was seeing someone,” Erwin says quickly, before he can talk himself out of it. 

And again, the line goes quiet before Levi stammers, “You - What…?”

“I told him that I was seeing someone else,” Erwin clarifies. 

Levi’s response is a simple, yet surprised, “ _ Oh. _ ”

It isn’t necessarily a bad reaction, but it doesn’t tell Erwin what Levi thinks of this development, so Erwin presses, just a little more. “I want to see  _ you _ , Levi.” And yeah, it has a double meaning, because he would like to be able to call Levi his boyfriend, but he also wishes he could have seen the other man when he had the chance. 

After a quiet moment, Levi mutters, “I can facetime you.” It’s cute, endearing, and Erwin smiles for a second before it fades.

“Not like that,” he responds gently, “I want to  _ see  _ you. I wish I could have when I was in New York.”

“Oh,” Levi echoes. “I know.”

Erwin lets out a deep breath. Now that the storm seems to have passed, he feels more comfortable telling Levi how he feels - about everything. “I’m sorry that I upset you,” he says, taking the fault, because this is just as much his fault as it is Levi’s. “I should have told you upfront. But I promise you that I’m not interested in Nile.”

“Okay,” Levi murmurs. “I believe you.”

“I’m not interested in  _ anyone _ else,” Erwin says on a whim. Because if he’s laying it all out on the line, now is the time to do it. 

And on the other end, he hears a sharp intake of breath before another soft, “ _ Oh. _ ”

Then, a few moments later, Levi’s quiet voice. “Erwin?”

“Yeah?”

“I wanna see you too.”


	6. Perfectly Aligned

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _I am thinking it's a sign_  
>  _That the freckles in our eyes_  
>  _Are mirror images and when_  
>  _We kiss they're perfectly aligned_  
>  \- [Such Great Heights](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wrsZog8qXg) \- The Postal Service
> 
> I'm so sorry for the delay between chapters! The last few weeks have been kind of crazy, but please accept this chapter as an apology and late Valentine's Day present! I loved writing this one <3

Levi’s late night conversation with Erwin and their subsequent make-up leaves his mind reeling for hours after they talk, even as he climbs into bed and attempts to fall asleep. It leaves him tossing and turning, unable to think about anything else but the other man and what this most recent turn in their friendship, their  _ relationship _ means. 

Less than a week ago, Levi was prepared to write Erwin off completely, but now, things have been turned on their heads. Something - Levi isn’t sure if it was desperation, hope or even some sick, twisted cynicism - compelled him to attend that concert, despite the fact that he wasn’t speaking with Erwin and didn’t plan to again anytime soon. Something told him to take those photos, to post them, and something told him to answer Erwin when he called one last time, just to see what he had to say. What Levi wasn’t expecting was the response and the explanation that he received. Although it’s very possible that Erwin could be lying to him - he lives on the other side of the country and they’ve never even met, after all - Levi felt that he could trust and believe him when Erwin told him how he felt, and now he’s in a different situation entirely.

Immediately after ending his call with Erwin, Levi knows what he’s going to do, but it takes him a couple of days to gather the courage to act on it. For now, Levi tosses and turns, unable to sleep, Erwin’s words echoing around in his head - 

_ I want to see you, Levi.  _

_ I’m not interested in anyone else. _

\- and he can’t help but hold on to the hope that they ring true. 

But most of all, aside from that distrust and cynicism that stopped Levi from hearing Erwin out when he first found out about Nile (that still gnaws at him even now that they’ve cleared the air and made up) Levi is scared. Scared, because although Levi has been in and out of fleeting relationships throughout his teens and twenties, he has never experienced something quite like this. Whether it’s the distance that makes his heart grow fonder of Erwin, or if it’s the longing between the two men who have never properly met one another, Levi has never felt like this before, and it’s absolutely terrifying. He’s scared, because Erwin already means a great deal to him, and they haven’t even met yet… Because he never asked for this, never went looking to meet someone new online, yet he has, and here he is. Most of all, he’s scared of what the future might hold. Because he  _ does _ want to see Erwin, wants to finally properly  _ meet _ Erwin, but then what?

It’s terrifying, but immediately after that phone call, Levi already knows what has to be done. They both said it, anyway. It just isn’t until a few days later that he musters up the courage to do something about it.

Mike is easy enough to find through Erwin’s Facebook, and three days later, Levi sends him a friend request and  _ waits. _ It has been three days since he and Erwin began talking again, and although it feels good, things have all but gone back to normal. He and Erwin are back to chatting nearly as frequently as they had been before, but the air between them has shifted. After  _ finally _ admitting their feelings for one another - in a weird, roundabout way - things haven’t been the same. It isn’t a  _ bad _ change, but Levi notices when Erwin lingers on the phone with him now, as if he wants to say something else, but can’t. And he certainly notices the way that his own pulse quickens when he sees Erwin’s name on his screen, the way his breath catches in his throat when Erwin says his name. Normally, Levi would find little things like this pathetic - they’re not even  _ dating _ anyway - but this time, it’s different, and that’s what encourages him to go through with his plan. It just all lies on Mike, who accepts Levi’s friend request a few hours later. 

After a quick pep-talk, Levi types out, deletes and then retypes a brief message to Mike, then eagerly awaits his response. Unsure of what exactly Erwin has told his friend about him, Levi hopes that he’ll trust him enough to be willing to go along with his plan.

_ “Hey, I know this is kind of out of the blue, but I need your help with something involving Erwin. I want to keep it a surprise, if possible. If you have the time, could you give me a call?” _

After the message, Levi leaves his phone number, and then he waits. It only takes a couple of minutes for Mike to read it, then another for him to send a quick response, telling Levi he will call when he’s free. About an hour later, Levi’s phone rings at his side, and an unfamiliar number illuminates the screen. 

Levi waits for a few rings, takes a deep breath, then answers. “Hello?”

“Hey Levi, it’s Mike,” his voice is warm and vaguely familiar from the brief moment that they met over facetime a few weeks ago. “What can I do for you?”

“Hey,” Levi says on an exhale. He can’t help but feel a bit nervous, but hopes that Mike’s willingness to accept his friend request and call when he asked are both good signs. “I want your help with something.”

“You said that,” Mike replies with a chuckle. “What is it?”

_ Here it goes _ .

“I’m not sure if Erwin has talked much about me or-”

_ Our relationship _ , Levi wants to continue, but Mike quickly cuts him off, a teasing smile in his voice that Levi doesn’t need to see to hear. “ _Oh_ , he has,” he assures.

“ _ Great _ ,” Levi swallows. By the way that Mike talks, Levi is certain that Erwin has likely been pretty candid and open with him. He likely knows about their recent falling out and make up. “Then I won’t go too much into it. Look, I’m booking a flight to California for Friday. I’m coming to see Erwin, but I don’t want him to know.”

The silence that follows the reveal of Levi’s plan is more nerve wracking than asking for Mike’s help in the first place. If Erwin has indeed told Mike everything, then he’d have good reason to feel a bit reluctant to help out, in favor of looking out for his friend. But what Mike says next certainly isn’t what Levi expects. 

“You really like him, huh?”

Levi opens his mouth in surprise, closing it again before answering, certain and without hesitation, “Yeah, I do.”

Again, the line goes quiet between them. “He’s been hurt before,” Mike warns after a beat, “I’m sure you’re aware of this.”

“I am,” Levi says, “And I don’t plan on doing that.”

Only then, Mike finally asks, “Alright, what do I need to do?”

* * *

 

The flight from New York to California is the longest six hours of Levi’s life. Before boarding, Levi makes a quick call to Erwin, just to say hi, but in a way, it’s also to solidify his decision to drop everything for a weekend to fly out to the west coast and see the man he’s been talking to for months, now. Already sitting at his terminal, Levi has obviously already made up his mind, but that doesn’t mean that he isn’t nervous, just a little bit scared that he isn’t making the right decision. What if Erwin took his freak out and their fight more seriously than he let on? What if he actually doesn’t want to see Levi anymore, after being stood up when he was in town? What if -

Levi shakes the worries from his head just as Erwin answers his call. He has made up his mind, and he’ll just have to wait and see what happens next. Thankfully, Erwin’s voice helps calm his nerves, and by the time Levi says goodbye and boards his plane - without a word to Erwin about his plans, of course - he’s feeling a lot better about his decision. Still nervous, but confident. 

Levi wants to see Erwin, and he is certain that Erwin wants to see him as well. 

The next few hours don’t go by without a few mild freak outs and a lot of second-guessing, though. In order to calm himself, Levi scrolls through their text messages, his saved photos, Erwin’s tumblr, anything to remind him that this is  _ good _ , that being nervous is normal. 

It’s not that Levi’s never been in a serious relationship before, but it’s more so that he doesn’t  _ know _ what he and Erwin are. They’ve been talking for months now and have made it very apparent that they are not only attracted to one another but are interested in pursuing something further, but -

_ But nothing _ . Levi shakes the thought from his head. He wants this, and he can only hope that Erwin will too. It’s all that he can do.

Thankfully, Mike has made him feel a bit more confident about his decision. After their phone call, Levi booked his flight and sent the information to Mike, who offered to pick Levi up from the airport. It’s reassuring, and over the past few days, he and Mike have texted back and forth a few times, solidifying their plans. While on his flight, Levi finds himself reading over text messages from Erwin, but eventually pauses on one from Mike, sent the evening prior.

_ “He really cares about you,”  _ it reads,  _ “I think he’ll be ecstatic to see you.” _

And Levi sure as hell hopes so. 

A few hours later, when Levi finally arrives in California, Mike greets him at his gate like an old friend - with a too-long, bone crushing hug that nearly lifts Levi off of his feet. Armed with only a simple carry-on bag and backpack - he’s only staying for the weekend, after all - Levi doesn’t waste any time waiting around for luggage and instead, he and Mike head straight for the car. And immediately, Levi feels at home around Erwin’s friend’s warm presence. Within no time, Mike is making small talk in the car, which quickly diverts to their plans for the afternoon.

“So,” Mike says at last, “What’s your plan here? We could go surprise him at work or go to his place… And did you want to call him and tell him you’re here, or -”

“I was thinking maybe you could,” Levi replies. He glances up at Mike when he speaks, who shoots him a smile from the driver’s seat. “I don’t know if I want him to know yet. I was thinking we could meet him at his place…”

Mike’s grin only widens. “So when he shows up, you’re waiting for him?”

Levi nods. His nerves return suddenly, throat tightening. In fact, his entire body feels coiled tight, anxious and on edge. He doesn’t know why, this shouldn’t be as nerve-wracking as it is, he’s great at making first impressions with clients he has never met before, but…

But this isn’t a client. This is Erwin. 

“Yeah,” Levi finally chokes out, “Do you think -”

“I think he’ll freak out,” Mike responds before Levi can finish his question. When Levi’s eyes widen slightly, he adds, “In a good way. Jesus, calm down, it’s alright.”

Levi tries to take Mike’s advice, sucking in a deep breath through his nose, out through his mouth. “Sorry,” he mutters, “I’ve never really done anything like this before.”

“That makes three of us,” Mike assures with a smile. “Besides, I’d be concerned if you had.”

No, this is a first for Levi, and it  _ is _ reassuring that it’s a first for Erwin, too. It’s not like Levi goes around trying to meet men online. This thing with Erwin, it was all by chance. It was this weird, roundabout way of meeting, but it quickly blossomed into a strong friendship, and then even more than that. Aside from emotional and physical attraction, Levi has shared more with Erwin than he has with any past boyfriends, more than some of his friends, even. He trusts Erwin, despite the recent turbulation they just went through. At the end of the day, Erwin was willing to do whatever it took to prove to Levi that he was being truthful with him, and Levi wants Erwin to know that he’s willing to go that extra mile for him, too. 

So if Erwin says he wants to see him, then here he is. 

All things considered, it’s only normal that he feels nervous, but he hopes that the nerves are the start of something good. 

“ _Hey_ ,” Mike’s voice shakes Levi out of his thoughts, and when he glances up at the other man, it’s to find that they’re sitting at a stop light and Mike is watching him intently. How long has he been looking at him like that?

Levi shakes his head, scrubs his hands over his thighs. “Sorry,” he echoes, “What were you saying?”

Mike smiles. “I was  _ saying _ that you shouldn’t be so worried. From what I can tell, Erwin is crazy about you.”

Levi raises his eyebrows at that. Just how much has Erwin told his friend about him? “Really?”

In return, Mike laughs. It’s loud and hearty, and even though Levi doesn’t know the guy very well yet, it feels comforting. Erwin keeps good company. “You sound surprised,” he remarks. 

A soft huff leaves Levi’s lips in response. “Well yeah,” he mutters, “I just… I didn’t expect any of this, you know? It’s insane that I’m even here.”

The light turns green and Mike eases on the gas, but as soon as they’re through the intersection, he’s speaking again, voice thoughtful. “I don’t think he did either, but that’s what makes it special.”

As Mike speaks, his eyes trained on the road ahead of them, Levi finds himself gazing out the window. It’s not his first time in California, but it all feels new to Levi now - the shining sun, the bright colors… It feels like the beginning of something good.

When Levi doesn’t immediately say anything in response, Mike continues. “Don’t second guess yourself,” he insists, “He’s going to be ecstatic.”

And at that, Levi can’t help the small smile that settles on his lips as he murmurs, “I hope so…”

From the airport, it’s only about half an hour to Erwin’s house - an older little rustic looking place on a hill, settled in between picket fences and newer looking houses and townhomes. It reminds Levi of the neighborhood he grew up in, houses filled with stories and character, paint chipping but warm and welcoming on the inside. The paint might not be rotting off of Erwin’s place, which is significantly larger than his childhood home, but it looks loved and lived in. From the street, a set of stone steps lead up to a gate and well-kept front yard that opens up to an inviting little porch.

“Well, we’re here,” Mike announces, breaking the silence and tearing Levi’s gaze away from the house. “You ready?”

Honestly, Levi is petrified, but yeah. He’s as ready as he’ll ever be.

He swallows. “Yeah.”

* * *

 

By the time Friday rolls around, Levi and Erwin have been on talking terms again for the better part of a week, and although it feels good - Erwin is particularly happy that he had a chance to clear the air _ and _ express his feelings for Levi - things also haven’t felt the same since. It’s not necessarily a bad feeling, it’s just… different. There isn’t a particular word that Erwin would use to describe the way that he and Levi talk to one another now, a bit hesitant, but much more honest and open. It’s almost like the start of a new relationship all over again, and though that isn’t a bad thing, Erwin can’t help but feel that it would be easier if he and Levi could see each other. 

If he could just see Levi, touch him... hell, even just hug him, it would make a world of difference. Erwin knows that he isn’t the only one who feels this way - Levi has voiced it a few times since they initially made up and began talking once more - but the cruel irony is that they  _ had  _ the chance to do just that when Erwin was in New York, but didn’t. Erwin doesn’t blame Levi for that one bit - he understands why Levi didn’t necessarily want to see him - but it would have been the perfect next step in their strange relationship.

Now, Erwin is stuck in California while Levi is on the other side of the country, and he doesn’t know what to do about it. While he has the money and certainly  _ could _ buy a plane ticket and fly to New York, it just wouldn’t be practical. Not with work and the fact that he was just there. Not to mention, it might be too forward - after all, he and Levi weren’t on very good terms only a week ago. Maybe he should just give it time, take things slow and see where they go from here.

But he’ll be damned if he doesn’t want to hop on a plane just to go see the other man right now. 

That’s a conversation that they can have later down the line. Erwin is planning on taking things one day at a time for right now, and reminds himself that he’s not in a hurry. If something is meant to happen between him and Levi, which he certainly hopes for, then it’ll happen. The most he can do now is be completely open and honest with the other man and expect the same in return.

And it turns out, Levi really was being honest when he said he wanted to see him, as Erwin finds out Friday afternoon.

It starts out just like any other Friday, aside from an unexpected early phone call from none other than Levi Ackerman. Although it isn’t early for Levi, who has likely already been up for an hour or so on the east coast, Erwin is still drinking coffee and just getting ready to head out the front door at 6am. “Hello?” Erwin answers, balancing his phone between his ear and shoulder as he locks the front door, curious why Levi might be calling so early. Usually, phone calls are reserved for later in the day, long after Erwin is off work, or on his lunch if it can’t wait.

“Hey,” Levi responds nonchalantly, as if this is part of their normal routine. “Do you work today?”

Erwin narrows his eyes even though Levi can’t see him. Of course he works - it’s a Friday, it isn’t the weekend quite yet. “Yeah, I’m actually just walking out the door,” he answers, “Why do you ask?”

“Oh, no reason,” Levi replies easily, “I’m visiting a friend today, and I may be busier later, so I thought I’d call you now.”

Erwin smiles at Levi’s words and his reasoning. Its moments like this that make him wish they weren’t so far apart, but for the time being, he’ll have to deal with it. “That sounds fun,” Erwin replies as he opens his car door. 

“I’m hoping so,” Levi replies. “How late do you have to work?”

Erwin thinks nothing of the question as he climbs into his car and starts it. “Only until two or so,” he answers, “I don’t have much to do today.”

Then a little more candid, he adds, “It’s nice to hear your voice this early, too.”

He hears Levi huff out a laugh on the other end, but he doesn’t tease Erwin like usual. Instead he murmurs a soft, “Yeah, you too.” 

It’s those words that make Erwin wish, more than ever, that he and Levi didn’t live so far apart, that they would have met when he was in New York, that this situation wasn’t as complicated as it is. But, despite all of that, Levi’s words and the tone of his voice make Erwin smile. The fact that he called so early, knowing that he might not get the chance to chat with Erwin until much later, makes it all worth it. They’ve got a lot to figure out, and probably a long way to go until they’re finally able to meet in person once again, schedules and work permitting, but Erwin is willing to wait. 

After a beat of silence, Levi clears his throat, shaking Erwin from his thoughts. “I should probably let you get going,” he says at last, and although he doesn’t want to, Erwin agrees. 

“I don’t have any plans tonight,” he replies, “So whenever you’re free -”

“Yeah,” Levi assures before Erwin has the chance to finish, “I’ll talk to you later.”

Erwin smiles. “Bye, Levi.”

After his early phone call with Levi, the rest of Erwin’s morning and early afternoon go by just like any other Friday. Erwin spends the majority of his morning working with bands and tour managers to secure guest lists, ticket buys and photo passes for the weekend so he’ll have less to worry about on his two days off, while his afternoon is reserved for following-up on emails and responding to lower priority requests or inquiries. Fridays are usually relatively easy, and this one is no different, at least, not until after his lunch hour.

Although Erwin told Levi that he’d probably be out of work by two, with the amount of emails that still need replying and a few press releases that he needs to write before Monday, he likely won’t be out until three or so, but that’s not a surprise. After taking his lunch, he returns to his office, prepared to spend the second half of his afternoon attempting to clear his inbox out and see to everything that needs to get done before the weekend, but only gets about another forty-five minutes worth of work done before he receives the text from Mike.

_ “I need you to call me.” _

Then another.

_ “Now.” _

The urgency in Mike’s text immediately creates a pit in Erwin’s stomach, but he tries not to read too much into it. The last time Mike texted him like this at work, it was because he stayed home to binge watch a TV show that Erwin had started without him and was simply freaking out about some plot-twist. Maybe this is just Mike being melodramatic again. 

So before he becomes too worried, Erwin quickly replies.  _ “Is everything alright?” _

Mike’s response is immediate.  _ “It’s an emergency.” _

And  _ that _ … That’s what finally gets Erwin’s attention. After excusing himself to the hallway, Erwin immediately dials his friend’s number and waits anxiously as it rings once, twice, three times before -

“Hello?” Mike answers, his voice surprisingly calm. 

“Mike, what’s going on?” Erwin asks as soon as he hears his voice, “Are you okay?”

“Everything is fine,” Mike assures, which only makes Erwin more confused.

“I thought you said -”

“It’s complicated,” Mike cuts him off before he can finish, “Can you leave work early?”

“Of course,” Erwin answers, “But -”

“Just meet me at your place in half an hour,” Mike interrupts again, still cryptic. It causes Erwin to frown, just as confused as he was when he first dialed Mike’s number. 

“Mike, what’s going on?” Erwin presses. He’s pacing in the hallway, his mind running wild, trying to figure out exactly what’s happening. What’s so important that Mike needs him to leave work early to be there? 

“It’s nothing bad, I just… Can you be here in half an hour?”

“Wait, you’re already there? Mike -”

At that, Mike simply laughs at Erwin’s concerned tone, effectively cutting him off once more. “Everything’s fine, trust me,” he assures, “You just… You’re going to want to be here.”

Finally understanding that his friend isn’t going to give him any answers until he gets home - and worries cast aside once Mike laughs at him - Erwin sighs. “Alright,” he mutters, “Give me a couple of minutes to get out of here, and I’ll be on my way.”

“Great,” Mike replies, “See you soon!”

And then, before Erwin has a chance to say anything else, he’s hanging up. 

Frustrated, confused and only slightly worried after his conversation (or lack thereof) with Mike, Erwin quickly returns to his desk and begins to gather his things. Thankfully, the majority of his co-workers have also gone home for the day, and as long as he takes care of the remainder of his work before Monday he’ll be fine. So five minutes after getting off the phone with Mike, Erwin is starting his car and heading home, racking his brain to figure out just what Mike might be getting him into. 

As Erwin drives home, though, his initial concern for Mike begins to dissipate. Although his text message had said that it was an emergency, Erwin is certain that it was just to get his attention. Whatever it is that Mike needs, it couldn’t wait until Erwin was off work, but it must not be life-threatening. Or at least, he hopes not. 

It isn’t until Erwin is about halfway home that another thought strikes him. Navigating through traffic, his early morning conversation with Levi comes to mind, and at first, it’s just a warm afterthought - he’s sure whatever Mike has in store for him will make for a good story to tell Levi when he’s free later - but it’s then that he remembers just what Levi  _ said _ to him this morning. Not only was the phone call unexpected, as Levi normally just texts him in the morning, but he had seemed pretty keen to know when Erwin was working today, when he’d be free later…

But just as the thought crosses his mind, Erwin shakes it away. 

_ No, don’t get your hopes up. Levi would have said something if he was going to be here. Besides, he said he was - _

He said he was visiting a friend today. That didn’t imply anything, right? Levi has plenty of other friends aside from Erwin. And besides, you don’t just wake up one morning and decide that you’re going to fly across the country to visit a friend, especially one you’ve never met. Levi wouldn’t even know how to get to Erwin’s house, unless -

Unless he had the help of someone like Mike.

Erwin doesn’t want to get his hopes up, but he can’t help the way his heart races at the thought of seeing Levi. What if that’s why Mike needs him to come home immediately? What if Levi is with him? What if…

He shakes the thought from his head. Erwin can’t afford to get his hopes up for something like that. It’s probably nothing. Right?

Still, Erwin pulls his phone out of his pocket as he drives, quickly scrolling until he reaches Levi’s name and presses call.

And it goes straight to voicemail.

That doesn’t mean anything, though. Levi had mentioned that he was going to be busy. He could have easily turned his phone off, or maybe he doesn’t have service. Maybe it died. The lack of response doesn’t tell Erwin anything, but maybe Levi’s social media will.

A minute later, Erwin has never been happier to hit a long red light, and he takes the opportunity to check Facebook, which Levi hasn’t updated in a few days. He then opens his tumblr app and visits the other man’s blog, where the most recent post is from the evening prior. He’s almost ready to give up and just wait to see what Mike has up his sleeve when he gets home, but then he opens up Instagram, and it just so happens that the first post on his feed is from none other than Levi.

Posted about an hour ago is a soft-lit photo of clouds and sky, taken from the window seat of an airplane. The pastel colors are absolutely stunning, but what has Erwin gasping are the implications of the photo, a caption that simply reads,  _ “They won’t see us waving from such great heights” _ and the possibility that maybe, just maybe, Levi might be waiting for him when he gets home. 

Immediately, Erwin tries calling Levi once more as the light turns green, but again, it goes straight to voicemail. 

Ten minutes. He’ll be home in ten minutes or less as long as he doesn’t hit any traffic, and Erwin takes that time to try to calm himself. He wants to get his hopes up, but he knows what will happen if he does and the man that he’s been talking to for months now  _ isn’t _ waiting for him when he rounds that final corner. He wants Levi to be there, sitting on his front porch or in the front seat of Mike’s Jeep - he wants to see him, touch him, hold him, promise that he wants him and only him - but Erwin doesn’t want to pull up to his place only to find a package or a gift or only Mike waiting for him on his doorstep, as nice as that would be.

As he drives, Erwin wants to call Mike again and demand to know what’s going on, but if he knows his best friend, he knows how stubborn he is. If Mike wanted him to know, he would have said so when they talked over half an hour ago now. So instead, Erwin drives in silence, attempting to calm himself down and ignore the what if’s.

_ What if Levi is there waiting for him? What if he isn’t?  _

But then, Erwin’s pulling into his neighborhood, climbing the hill and rounding that final corner on his street, and it’s impossible not to spy the figure sitting on the steps in front of his gate, a small duffel bag at their feet, Mike’s jeep nowhere to be found. Erwin knows that it’s Levi before he even gets close enough to make out any of his features, and just like that, his heart is racing once more, hands nearly shaking on the steering wheel. After months of talking, of sharing moments of his life (many things he hasn’t shared with anyone else) with this complete stranger, he’s here, and it takes all of Erwin’s might not to speed down the street in order to reach Levi sooner. Instead, he pulls up carefully to the sidewalk, well aware of the heavy gaze on him as he does so. 

Erwin doesn’t look up until he turns his car off, but after that, it’s all a blur. He doesn’t remember opening the door or rounding the vehicle to meet the other man, who’s now standing, watching him quietly, halfway. 

And although Erwin has seen countless photos of Levi - beautiful, well composed self-portraits, artistic shots by other photographers and candid photos taken by friends - nothing could prepare him for the real deal. Levi is small, as he looked compared to the models in his photos, but not frail by any means. Even now, Erwin can tell that he's all lean, compact muscle, sharp features and dark, heavy eyes. Levi’s gaze is intimidating, or well, it would be if his features weren’t softening more and more into something fond as Erwin approaches him. And it seems that he’s just as nervous as Erwin, if the stiff way that he holds his body and the way he opens and closes his mouth, unsure of what to say says anything. 

But before Levi can even get a word out - and  _ God,  _ Erwin is dying to hear his voice in person - Erwin is stepping forward with long strides and reaching out to embrace him. With one hand cradling the back of his head and the other arm coming to wrap around his shoulders, Erwin pulls Levi -  _ Levi! It’s actually him! -  _ into a warm, long-awaited hug. And after a terrifying moment of stillness, Levi returns the gesture, his own arms winding tightly around Erwin’s waist, face pressing into his shirt. At his height, Levi comes to about Erwin’s shoulders, so when Erwin dips his head down, pulling the other man impossibly closer as he does so, the top of Levi’s head brushes his nose and chin, and he can’t help but think that they fit together perfectly like this. Like it was only a matter of time, because it was meant to be.

So far, they haven’t said a single word to one another though, so after what feels like forever, Erwin eventually and reluctantly begins to pull away. Levi seems to take the hint as well, his own hands finding their place at his side again. And when they do part, Erwin gazes down at Levi, meeting his eyes, unsure of what to say, his own mouth open in disbelief. Of course, he wanted nothing more than to finally see Levi, to finally  _ meet _ him, but never in a million years did he expect this. When had Levi decided to come here? What does this mean for their relationship? There are a hundred questions on the tip of Erwin’s tongue, but he can’t seem to voice any of them. Instead, he reaches up, thumb gently brushing Levi’s cheek both to make sure that this is real - that he isn’t imagining this - and also in a form of affection that he hopes isn’t too much too soon.

“Levi,” he finally murmurs, unable to keep the smile from his face. “You have no idea how happy I am to see you. I -”

Erwin wants to tell Levi everything, how he almost bought a ticket back to New York himself, how he’s been dreaming of this moment ever since he admitted his feelings for the other man (and for probably longer than that) but he’s unable to get any of those words out, because he’s suddenly cut short when Levi reaches up with lightning-fast hands, fisting the collar of his shirt to pull him down for an unexpected, but not unwelcome first kiss. 

And Erwin should have known. Levi has been full of surprises since the moment they started talking, unafraid to voice his own thoughts or feelings about Erwin. He had been the one to coax Erwin out of his shell and make him feel more confident. For fuck’s sake, they’ve had phone sex, which Levi initiated, have discussed in detail what they’d do to one another if they were together, so it’s no surprise that Levi is the one to initiate this kiss, but Erwin will be damned if he doesn’t return it. 

After a brief moment of stunned surprise, Erwin is quick to pull Levi closer, to tilt his head slightly to become more accommodating to the other man’s lips. In the back of his mind, Erwin registers that this is insane - just this morning, they were two strangers connected by a computer screen but separated by thousands of miles - and now, Levi is in his arms, kissing him with just as much fire and passion as Erwin imagined he would, when he allowed himself to indulge in such thoughts. His hands are still clenched tight where they fist the collar of Erwin’s shirt, holding him in place, but when Erwin winds his arms around him once more, Levi physically relaxes into the touch, melting into the kiss. 

It’s something epic, something that Erwin would never imagine happening to himself, something you’d see in the movies, but it’s real life. Levi is right here in front of him, mouth moving with ease against his own, and Ewin almost fears that if he closes his eyes for too long, the other man will disappear. But when they finally part, when Levi’s hands finally begin to go slack and Erwin straightens himself up again, Levi is still there in front of him, his dark eyes gazing up into Erwin’s blues.

And before Erwin can get another word out, Levi’s lips are turning up into a small smirk before he mutters a soft, “Hey.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FUCKING FINALLY, AM I RIGHT?!
> 
> This was a difficult chapter to write, for some reason, but I really enjoyed writing that last scene and most importantly, the kiss (!!!!!!)
> 
> Let me know what you think! I'm so freaking excited to finally write these two in the same room. Ahh!


	7. Just Like It Should

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Everything feels good when you come around_   
>  _Feels just like it should when you come around_   
>  _I feel better_
> 
> \- [Good](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhy5xJtjeTM) \- LAYNE
> 
> HI! I'm so sorry there has been such a big gap between updates this time around! I've been crazy busy lately. Sadly, I think there will probably be a bit of a gap between this chapter and the next, as well, but I promise I'm not abandoning it. It's just going to take a little bit to find the time to get some stuff written.
> 
> BUT, I hope this chapter makes up for it! It was so fun writing them interacting in person for the first time. 
> 
> Thank you all for sticking with this <3

It doesn’t take long before Erwin is finally shaking himself out of his daze and inviting Levi inside. Without asking, he grabs the smaller man’s duffel bag and leads him up the steps to his house and through the front door, and as Levi makes himself familiar with the foyer (which is much larger and more open than he had been expecting from looking at the place from the outside) Erwin offers food, drinks, anything to make him feel at home. 

“Tea would be great,” Levi says when the offer leaves Erwin’s lips.

Erwin shoots him a smile from the kitchen, motioning for him to join. And as keen as Levi is to explore the other man’s house in order to learn even more about him - as he’s sure he’ll be doing throughout his weekend here - he follows Erwin into the kitchen and takes a seat at the bar that lines the countertop. From there, it opens up into a small dining room and den, both backlit by a massive window that overlooks some open, rolling hills and more importantly, the ocean. The view is almost as breathtaking as the man before him.  _ Almost _ .

Levi didn’t think it was possible, but Erwin is even more stunning in person than he is in any of the photos that Levi has shamelessly saved onto his phone. It was one thing to see Erwin from a distance in the dim light of a venue, but now, up close and personal, it almost seems unreal. 

Apparently, Erwin seems to feel the same way, if the look he gives Levi when he hands him a cup of tea a few minutes later says anything. 

“I have a million questions,” Erwin starts as he sets his own cup down across from Levi. “But first things first - how long are you here for?”

The first question catches Levi off guard, and (not for the first time since landing) he begins to worry that he chose a bad time to come. He knows that Erwin tends to work from home through the weekends if he’s busy enough, and he had no way of knowing for sure that the other man would even have time for him over the next couple of days. What if he’s too much of a burden for Erwin? What if they’re not even able to spend much time together? What if -

“Just the weekend,” Levi answers, shaking the invading thoughts from his head. If Erwin doesn’t have much time to spend with him, Levi will trust him to be honest about it. This weekend can be a test run, if anything. Quickly, Levi adds, “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you this morning, or sooner. I wanted it to be a surprise, and -”

Before he can finish his thought, Erwin is reaching across the bar, his own hand coming to rest over Levi’s in a comfortable, intimate form of affection. If it weren’t for the way that Levi’s heart races at the contact, it would almost feel like something they’ve been doing for years. It feels natural. 

“This was a great surprise,” Erwin says with a smile, “Please, don’t apologize. I’m so happy to see you.”

Levi huffs out a little sigh of relief. “Good,” he mutters, “Cause I didn’t book a hotel, so you’re stuck with me for a few days.”

Erwin chuckles in response. “I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he assures, then adds, “If I’m being completely honest, I thought about catching a flight out there soon, too.”

“God, how fucked up would it be if we decided to do it at the same time,” Levi muses, shaking his head, “I’d show up here and you’d be in New York.”

“I’m glad I’m not as ballsy as you, then,” Erwin teases, and  _ shit.  _ For a moment during his flight, Levi had been concerned that he and Erwin might not get on as well in person, that maybe, their back and forth flirting was something that came easier over the phone because of how impersonal it was, but apparently, nothing has changed. 

Levi scoffs, but it’s a gentle, teasing thing. He accents it by turning his hand over under Erwin’s palm, wiggling his fingers in between the other man’s. The size difference between their hands isn’t quite as drastic as their height difference, but Levi does take it into account. It’s not something he’s ever really actively looked for in a romantic partner, but damn, he finds it attractive in Erwin.

“Yeah, somehow I’m always making the first move,” he teases back, “It would have been a bad time to start pulling your own weight, Smith.”

Erwin offers a mock gasp at Levi’s words, but the small smile still pulling at his lips and the way he squeezes Levi's hand slightly gives him away. He hasn’t been able to wipe the smile from his face ever since he laid eyes on Levi. “Excuse me, but I’m the one who contacted you first, am I not?” He shoots back. 

“Yeah, cause you’re some sad sap who fell for some pretty pictures of me on some loser’s Instagram,” Levi bites back with a smirk.

Thankfully, Erwin takes the teasing in stride. “You caught me.”

Leaning in, a sly smirk spreading across his face once more, Levi quietly murmurs, “I already  _ had _ you.”

He half expects some witty remark from Erwin, or even once of his shitty dad jokes to break the mood, but instead what Levi receives is a fierce, unexpected kiss. Erwin closes the gap between them in the blink of an eye, free hand coming up to cradle the back of Levi’s head while he keeps hold of Levi's hand and braces himself on the counter with the other, and  _ shit _ . Levi’s breath catches in the back of his throat at the sudden display of affection, but he’s quick to recover, reaching forward to fist the collar of Erwin’s shirt once more, anchoring him in place.

This kiss is vastly different than the first one they shared out front less than half an hour ago, and Levi is quick to return it as Erwin takes control, parting his lips and deepening the kiss when the other man urges him to do so. And  _ fuck _ , it’s a relief, because although Levi is sure they have plenty to discuss now that he’s here, nothing has been awkward thus far, and apparently, Erwin is just as happy to see him as Levi is to be here. 

After a long moment - which could have gone on much longer, as far as Levi is concerned - Erwin finally ends the kiss with a soft smack of his lips, and pulls away with a smile on his face. And just when Levi’s about to ask him what the hell he’s grinning about, Erwin asks, “Are we even now?”

Levi eyes widen for a brief moment before he huffs a soft laugh. “We’re getting there. Why don’t you show me around before you do that again, big guy?”

For a moment, something akin to lust flashes in Erwin’s eyes, but fast as it’s there, it’s gone, and Erwin is nothing but a gentleman once more. “Of course,” he murmurs, “Come on, let’s get you settled.”

* * *

 

“Is there anything that you'd like to do while you’re here?” Erwin asks after he helps Levi deposit his belongings in the bedroom upstairs. There  _ is _ a guest room, but neither man said a word about it when Erwin simply set Levi’s bag and backpack on his own bed.

_ You _ , Levi wants to reply with, but he supposes they should probably test the waters, take things slow before going there just yet. Sure, he has heard the way Erwin that moans his name though a phone before (and he’d be lying if he said he didn’t want to hear it in person) but that doesn’t mean shit right now. One step at a time. 

“I don’t care,” Levi mutters. Making himself at home, he flops onto Erwin’s sofa once they return to the living room. Some of the things in Erwin’s house he recognizes from photos and facetiming with the other man, the living room and kitchen being the most familiar. It feels unreal to be sitting right here, where Erwin has likely sat while talking to him on the phone before. Like if he blinks, he’ll be back in New York again. 

After a moment, Erwin joins him on the sofa, throwing an arm easily around Levi’s smaller shoulders, as if they’ve done this a million times before, and it grounds Levi. This is real. He's here with Erwin, the man he's been talking to online for months now. “We could go for a drive tomorrow, go hiking or go to the beach,” Erwin suggests, “Did you bring your camera?”

“Of course,” Levi replies, “If you thought I’d come out here without taking at least a few photos of that pretty face of yours -”

“You think I’m pretty?” Erwin interrupts, his face lighting up with a teasing, lopsided smile. 

“Shut it, dad jokes,” Levi bites back, smacking Erwin lightly in the side, “Don’t make me regret this trip.”

“You like my jokes,” Erwin presses, leaning closer to Levi.

In return, Levi tries to shove Erwin’s weight off of him, but to no avail. He doesn’t really want him to move, anyway. “I like your face,” Levi shoots back, “I put up with the jokes.” 

Erwin laughs against him. In a moment, the mood shifts with his next words.

“I’m really glad you’re here, Levi,” he murmurs softly, his fingers rubbing a soft pattern into Levi’s shoulder. 

Leaning against Erwin’s form, Levi sighs out a breath that he didn’t know he had been holding. “Yeah,” he murmurs softly, “It’s about damn time.”

* * *

 

Erwin reminds himself to thank Mike for going along with Levi’s plan as the day quickly fades to night and he grows to enjoy Levi’s company more and more. In fact, by the time Erwin offers to order pizza and puts his arm around Levi once more while they watch a movie together, he finds himself already wishing that he had more than a single weekend with the other man. They’re not even watching the movie, necessarily, as they keep talking over it, and Erwin honestly wouldn’t have it any other way. 

“He’s pretty protective of you,” Levi says when the subject of Mike comes up, “It’s kind of cute.”

Erwin laughs. “We’ve been friends since we were kids. He’s always been taking care of me.”

“Then I’m glad he liked me enough to go through with this plan,” Levi says with a smile. 

“I am too,” Erwin replies. As quick as the words are out of his mouth, he has another thought and has to ask before it’s gone. “When did you decide to come out here, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“ _ If I don’t mind _ ,” Levi repeats Erwin’s words with a huff, shaking his head. The other man is too damn polite. It’s charming. It was over the phone and through messages and even more so in person, making levi that much more attracted to him. “Honestly, I made up my mind after you got home from New York and I realized how big of an idiot I had been.”

“Levi,” Erwin begins, frowning at his words, “You weren’t an idiot. I -”

“But I still fucked up my chance to see you when you were in town,” Levi insists. “I owed you.”

Erwin sighs. If Levi is anything, he’s stubborn. “Well, I don’t want you to think you  _ owe me _ anything,” he says, “But I’m certainly glad that you’re here.”

“You know,” Levi murmurs, leaning against Erwin as he talks, “I meant it when I said I wanted to see you.”

Looking down at Levi, the sharp slope of his nose, his long lashes, and the small smile that graces his features as he gazes forward at the television while he speaks, Erwin’s heart swells. He never would have guessed that he’d find himself here, so comfortable with this man in his arms, but Levi has been here for less than a day and already, Erwin feels like they’ve been together for months. In a weird way, he has already felt committed to the other man for just that long, whether he wants to admit it or not. 

Erwin smiles as the thought crosses his mind. “Yeah,” he murmurs, “You’ve made that very clear.” 

At Erwin’s teasing tone, Levi finally turns to look up at him, narrowing his eyes in a challenge. “Oh, you think you can just be a smartass now?”

“I can’t let you have all of the fun,” Erwin replies with a chuckle, adding, “Besides, you’re cute when you’re angry.”

Levi huffs. “Fuck you, Smith.”

The tone of his voice tells Erwin that he’s not annoyed with the teasing, though - he’s simply playing along. And Erwin isn’t lying, he  _ does _ look cute like this, hair falling into his narrowed eyes, his pouting lips. Without warning, Erwin is reaching out, brushing a stray hair out of Levi’s face, his fingers lingering, tickling his short undercut. He has dreamed of being able to touch Levi like this, and now he is, oh so casually. 

“Can I kiss you?” Erwin murmurs, his eyes darting to Levi’s lips, then back up to meet his gaze. 

“You didn’t ask earlier, and I wasn’t really pushing you away, was I?” Levi teases back, but the way he leans into Erwin’s touch, just ever so slightly gives him away. He might have a quick wit and a sharp tongue, but he wants this just as bad as Erwin, who smiles down at him in return. 

“So is that a yes?” He asks, wanting to hear the words from Levi’s mouth. Something to solidify this, to remind him that he’s not dreaming. 

“Yeah, that’s a yes,” Levi mutters, “Kiss me, you dumbass.”

With that, Erwin happily obliges, dipping down to kiss Levi for the third time since his arrival. So far, each one has been different from the last, and this kiss follows suit. While their first kiss outside was full of longing and desperation, the second one was significantly more heated and passionate and this… This is something different entirely. This time, everything seems to stand still as Erwin parts his lips, allowing Levi’s taste to flood his senses once more. The television goes forgotten in the background, suddenly silent to Erwin’s ears because  _ this _ , this is what matters right now. The soft press of Levi’s lips against his own, the heavy weight of Levi’s body, the implication of the hand on his thigh… Everything feels elevated.

And this time, the kiss doesn’t end as quickly as the others. Levi sighs out through his nose as his tongue runs across Erwin’s bottom lip, his body relaxing against the other man. He relaxes into the touch, arching forward to meet the press of Erwin’s lips and then some and  _ fuck _ , Erwin isn’t sure how he managed to wait for this for so long. He’s not sure how he’ll survive without it when Levi’s gone, but he doesn’t concern himself with that right now. Instead, he focuses on Levi, the slide of his tongue, the dangerous press of his teeth every now and then, the sound of his breathing.

Eventually, the smaller man is the one to end the kiss, pulling away ever so slightly, his breath hot against Erwin’s lips. Eyes flicking up to meet Erwin’s for a brief moment, Levi doesn’t need to say anything - his heavy gaze says it all. 

_ More _ .

After a moment to catch his breath, Levi is muttering a soft, “ _ fuck it _ ,” before moving swiftly, and before Erwin even knows what’s happening, the smaller man is planting a knee on either side of his legs, straddling him where he sits on the sofa. From there, their roles are reversed, as Erwin has to look up at Levi now. His hands move at their own volition, coming to rest naturally on Levi’s own thighs. 

“This alright?” Levi asks, voice low and heavy. It’s a tone that Erwin knows, and one that causes him to swallow thickly as he nods. 

“Yeah,” Erwin murmurs, “Come here.”

And at that, Levi is ducking down, taking control of the kiss. Like the others, this one is different. More teeth and tongue than lips, Levi licks into Erwin’s mouth, a new found energy to the way he kisses. His hands come to wind around Erwin’s neck, anchoring himself in place, while Erwin’s palms spread, squeezing his thighs gently. 

Erwin wasn’t expecting this, at least not so soon, but he’d be kidding himself if he said that the chemistry wasn’t there. Ever since that fateful phone call, the one that had Erwin jerking himself off on this exact sofa, moaning Levi’s name into the phone, that attraction has been there. Hell, it has been since the very beginning, if he’s being honest. And kissing Levi like this, holding him close and letting his hands slide up and down his thick thighs comes natural. It feels right, not rushed. So yeah, if they fuck for the first time right here on this sofa, Erwin won’t have a problem with it.

When Levi pulls back once more, Erwin takes advantage of it, arching forward to press his lips to his sharp chin, his jaw, littering wet kisses down to his neck, where he sucks a gentle mark into the skin. The action earns a sharp gasp from the small man in his lap, but Levi doesn’t move to stop him. 

“Shit,” he mutters, hands sliding up, up until fingers tangle in Erwin’s neatly parted hair, mussing and tugging it slightly. Meanwhile, Erwin continues his assault on Levi’s neck, nipping at the skin before soothing it with his tongue. 

“You can touch, if you want,” Levi sighs out as Erwin’s hands run up and down his thighs, as Erwin sucks another mark into his skin. As he speaks, he rocks his hips slightly, lifting them in a silent invitation, and Erwin will be damned if he doesn’t take the hint, his hands sliding up to cup Levi’s ass. 

For a moment, Erwin opts to nose just under Levi’s jaw, rather than sucking another light hickey into his skin. “You’re gorgeous, Levi,” he murmurs, breath hot against the other’s skin, accenting it with a soft squeeze of Levi’s cheeks. 

Levi sighs out above him. “You’re not so bad yourself, big guy,” he breathes against his hair, pressing a couple of kisses to the top of his head. 

Erwin opens his mouth to say something else, to tease Levi, because it’s the second time he’s called him that -  _ is that a size kink you have there, Levi _ ? - but just as he does so, Levi is dipping down to kiss him again, lips hungry, desperate. This time around, he wastes no time before sucking Erwin’s bottom lip roughly into his mouth and releasing it with a soft pop. This time, Levi’s hands unwind, sliding down Erwin’s chest, searching until they reach the hem of his shirt, and  _ shit _ , it seems like he has the same idea as Erwin.

But, just as Levi begins to pull Erwin’s shirt up to reveal those toned abs he’s been dying to touch, they’re interrupted by the sound of the doorbell, of all things. 

“ _ Shit, _ ” Levi bites, pulling away to press his head against Erwin’s chest, “What the fuck? Who is that?” 

And  _ fuck _ , his voice is intoxicating. He sounds breathy, desperate, and frustrated at the interruption, and for a moment, Erwin wants nothing more than to say fuck whoever is at the door and carry Levi upstairs, but then he sobers up and sighs. 

“ _The pizza_ ,” he groans, “I ordered pizza.”

“God damn it,” Levi mutters, body slumping in Erwin’s arms, “I’m seriously getting cockblocked by pizza right now?”

Erwin laughs, leaning down to press a kiss to Levi’s temple. “I’m sorry,” he murmurs, “For what it’s worth, I share your frustrations.”

Levi pulls back at that to look Erwin in the eye. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Erwin echoes, accenting his words with another squeeze to Levi’s backside, for good measure. 

Levi smirks, leaning in to press a quick kiss to Erwin’s lips. “You want my ass,” he teases, as if he wasn’t just about ready to throw a hissy fit over being cockblocked by the pizza man. 

Erwin opens his mouth to agree that yeah, he’d definitely like to see what Levi looks like undressed right now, but just as he does, he’s interrupted by the doorbell once more. 

“ _ Fuck _ ,” Levi mutters, shaking his head. This time, he climbs off of the other man’s lap in order to let him up. “I’ve never been so upset to have pizza.”

“I agree,” Erwin says as he stands. Before going to the door, he’s reaching out, grabbing Levi by the middle to pull him close. They share one more kiss before parting ways again. 

“To be continued?” Levi asks hopefully, a small smirk pulling at his lips. 

“To be continued,” Erwin agrees.

* * *

 

Cockblock or not, eating pizza at his dining room table with Levi is something that Erwin won’t take for granted. A month, hell even a week or a couple of days ago, he would have never imagined that he’d be sitting right here with Levi, eating a late dinner, half-watching a movie and kicking each other gently under the table. A week ago, this wasn’t even a thought in Erwin’s head, because it was dangerous to entertain such notions. So sure, it might just be pizza, and it may have interrupted the best makeout session Erwin has had in a long time, but it’s also something that Erwin gets to share with Levi, which makes it significantly better. 

After dinner, and with a yawn, Levi insists on taking a quick shower and changing into something more comfortable, so Erwin shows him to the bathroom and finds himself sitting alone on the sofa a few minutes later, sending a quick yet heartfelt  _ thank you _ text to Mike. He’s not sure where the rest of the night, or the rest of the weekend will take him, but if the past few hours have been any indication, Erwin’s certain that he and Levi will get along just fine. This is everything he hoped it would be and more. 

About twenty minutes after he hears the water stop running and Levi still hasn’t joined him downstairs once more, though, Erwin decides to go check on his guest. Finding the bathroom empty, he ventures cautiously into his bedroom, where he finds Levi, hair still damp, clad in sweatpants and a t-shirt, asleep on his bed. At the sight, a smile spreads across Erwin’s face, and after a moment of watching the smaller man sleeping on top of his comforter, he decides that now is as good of a time as any to join him in bed. They’ll have a busy weekend ahead of them, he’s sure, so he might as well get a good night’s sleep, too.

As Erwin approaches Levi’s sleeping form, he notices the other man’s cell phone lying on his chest, lighting up as it buzzes with a new text message notification. Grabbing the device to set it on the bedside table, Erwin can’t help but glance at the series of messages to none other than Levi’s friend and the subject of many of his photos - Petra. 

At the very first message, sent by Levi ten minutes ago, Erwin can’t help but smile. 

_ “he’s fucking perfect, Pet. I’m not coming home.” _

In response, Petra had typed out three consecutive messages:

_ “Oh my god!” _

_ “Tell me everything.” _

_ “Levi, you better home back. It’ll be so sad here without you.” _

In response, Levi had started typing out a message to his friend, but seemingly fell asleep in the middle of writing it.

_ “I don’t even know where to begin.” _

While the message strokes Erwin’s ego quite a bit - it seems that Levi feels the same way he does, if his spontaneous cross-country flight didn’t tell him that already - he also would rather have the real thing. So in favor of reading Levi’s text messages, as kind as they may be, he sets the phone aside and takes a seat on the edge of the bed. 

“Levi,” he whispers gently, one hand softly touching his shoulder, “Hey, let’s go to bed.”

Levi stirs at the contact and the sound of Erwin’s voice, his eyes opening just slightly. “Mmm… Erwin?”

“Hey,” Erwin repeats, shooting Levi a smile, “Come on, let’s get you in bed.”

Levi shifts, as if to make room for Erwin, but doesn’t move enough for the other man to pull the blankets out from underneath him. “You gonna sleep with me?” Levi slurs, half awake. 

Erwin chuckles. “Yeah, I will.”

“Heh,” Levi closes his eyes again, his sleepy voice taking on a teasing tone, “You wanna fuck me.”

The words should catch Erwin off guard, but at this point, they really don’t. Levi isn’t without surprises, but Erwin has grown fond of this sort of teasing. In fact, it’s even more endearing when the other man is half awake. 

“Well, I thought that went without saying,” Erwin agrees.

Apparently too tired to take Erwin’s words seriously, Levi finally shifts enough to get under the blankets, scooting over to leave enough room for Erwin next to him. Leaning down to press a quick kiss to his forehead, Erwin murmurs, “I’ll be right back.”

But before he can go, Levi catches his wrist, lightning quick despite being half asleep. “Don’t go,” he whispers, his eyebrows pulling down in frustration even though his eyes remain closed. 

Erwin smiles. “I’m not leaving,” he assures, “I just need to turn off the TV. I’ll be right back.”

Apparently, that’s enough to please Levi, who releases his grip with a soft huff, allowing Erwin to quickly run downstairs to turn off the television and lights before returning. And when he does come back, Levi is curled up soundly in his bed. It’s a sight to behold. 

When Erwin eventually climbs into bed about five minutes later, though, the other man reaches out, as if he’d been patiently waiting for Erwin to join him in bed. With an arm thrown over Erwin’s middle, Levi sighs out a happy little noise, and into the darkness, he murmurs, “I’m glad I’m here, Erwin.”

With a smile, Erwin turns, pressing a soft kiss to Levi’s temple.

“I am too, Levi.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry not sorry for the cockblock. It'll be worth the wait, I promise.


	8. Yours

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You’re slow motion when you walk into the room  
> I can’t keep my eyes off of you  
> You got me doing things that I shouldn’t do  
> But baby I like it  
> [Yours](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahs7l3irsG0) \- Now, Now
> 
> SUP. I’m just gonna casually pretend that I didn’t straight up abandon this for a year by dropping a fluffy new chapter. THEY FINALLY GET TO GO ON THEIR FIRST DATE.
> 
> For real though, I am SO sorry it took me so long to add anything to this. I promise I never forgot about it, life has just been super nuts for a while, but I’m finally getting settled down and have some free time to write for fun again. 
> 
> ALSO, the tree mentioned in this chapter is from this weird memory I have as a child. My parents took me to this campground in Michigan where there was a massive tree in the middle of the forest (apparently locals called it the Kissing Tree?) that had a ton of names and initials carved into it. My dad climbed up it to carve his and my mom’s name in it before they got married. I’ve never been able to find a photo of it since then but my parents talk about it all the time, so if any of y'all know what I’m talking about/live in Michigan, please tell me I’m not crazy haha.

When Levi wakes in the morning, it takes him a moment to remember where he is, whose bed he’s in and what exactly happened the night prior. For just a few seconds, his sleep-addled mind tricks him into thinking that the events of the day before were just a dream - a really, _ really _ good dream - but then he’s rolling over in a bed much bigger than his own, and with a start, he realizes that he’s not asleep in his apartment in New York. No, instead, he’s lying in Erwin’s bed. Erwin Smith, the man he met simply by chance online a few months ago, the man of many of his fantasies over the last few months, the man that he took a chance on, said fuck it, and flew out to California for. Erwin, who -

Who  _ isn’t _ lying in bed next to him, as he had been last night, Levi realizes when he blinks his eyes open a few seconds later. Instantly, Levi is grateful that Erwin seems to think like him, dark curtains blocking out the majority of sunlight, save for a few rays that trickle in through the cracks. It makes waking up a surprisingly pleasant experience, except for the fact that there isn’t a sturdy form lying next to him right now. As he stretches and recounts the events from the night before, Levi remembers that Erwin had climbed into bed with him shortly after he got out of the shower. He remembers shamelessly cuddling up against Erwin’s form and remembers how comfortable he felt lying next to the other man. 

The fact that the bed is empty aside from his own small frame doesn’t worry Levi, though. Erwin probably just woke up before him. This isn’t like some shitty one night stand who left before Levi even woke up - this is  _ Erwin _ . Hell, they didn’t even fuck last night. 

So instead of hurrying out of bed and downstairs, Levi simply rolls over, reaching for his cell phone on the nightstand. When he brings the device to life, it’s to a missed call from Farlan and three new text messages from Petra, each one increasing in concern and confusion.

Right. He had been texting her last night before he fell asleep. He quickly replies to a couple of her messages, assuring her that no, he hasn’t been murdered and everything is fine and yes, he  _ will _ be coming back home, even though he doesn’t necessarily want to be saying goodbye to Erwin quite yet. After that, he sends a group message to Farlan and Isabel, letting them know where he’s staying and his itinerary for his return flight and  _ then _ he’s climbing out of bed. 

After blindly searching for a light switch, Levi turns on the light on the bedside table, and before he knows what he’s doing, he’s rummaging through his backpack and grabbing his camera. It’s a silly thought, and he’s sure that Erwin will probably give him some grief about it, but if the rest of this weekend is as good as last night was, then he’s going to want to document it, and what better time to start than now? So that’s how he finds himself wandering down the hallway a few minutes later, still clad in sweats and a t-shirt, camera in hand. 

As soon as he opens the bedroom door, Levi is greeted with the smell of bacon cooking downstairs, as well as the sound of music playing from the kitchen. So Erwin is an early riser. That’s good to know. 

Last night, Levi hadn’t paid much attention to the decor in Erwin’s home, more interested in getting to know the man he’d been talking to for months, but now, he takes his time moseying down the hallway. There isn’t much, but there are a few framed photos lining the hallway, one of which looks like it was taken recently - Erwin standing on the beach with his arm around Mike - contrasting with the one next to it of a much younger looking Erwin, probably in his teen years, standing alongside a middle-aged couple. 

_ Probably his parents _ , Levi thinks to himself as he studies the photo. Erwin looks much more like his mother than his father, he notes. At least, he definitely has her eyes. 

At the very end of the hallway are a couple of plaques from Erwin’s place of work and a framed gold record, likely for a band that Erwin has worked with. Those, Levi doesn’t pay as much attention to, but he does remind himself to ask Erwin about it later. He knows a bit about the other man’s job, but not as much as he’d like, and that’s what this weekend is for, anyway. Getting to know each other more. 

Eventually, Levi tires of looking at photos and wondering about the other man when the real deal is right down a flight of stairs, so with a camera in hand, he walks down to meet him. 

The thing is, Levi isn’t sure what he expected to see when he walked into the kitchen, but it certainly wasn’t Erwin, hair still slightly damp from the shower, clad in a thin old t-shirt and pajama pants. It’s a sight to behold - he’s obviously never seen the other man so candidly before - and for a moment, he just stands there at the bottom of the stairs, taking in the sight of Erwin, bathed in late morning light. It takes a few seconds for Levi to remember the camera in his hand, and quickly, he turns it on, composes a photo, and snaps it, just as Erwin glances his way.

A smile spreads across the other man’s face as soon as Levi lowers the camera. Normally, he’d be checking the back screen to see how the image turned out, but he doesn’t even glance at it now, his eyes trained on Erwin. 

“I didn’t realize we were having a photo shoot already,” Erwin teases. 

“Yeah well,” Levi shrugs, taking a few steps forward, into the kitchen, “Don’t go walking around looking like that, then.”

Erwin laughs. “Like what?” His eyes never leave Levi as he approaches him, and suddenly, Levi feels his face heat up. It’s stupid, he and Erwin had been flirting and making out pretty much all last night, but it feels different, now. More  _ real _ . Erwin still looks at him like that, bedhead and all. 

“You know,” Levi scoffs, “Like  _ that _ .” 

Then, before Erwin can tease him even more, he steps forward, “What are you making?”

“I’m thinking french toast, bacon and eggs.”

Levi hums, setting his camera down on the countertop. “Need help?”

“Sure,” Erwin replies with a smile, “Would you like to grab the eggs and milk from the refrigerator?” 

Levi nods in response, moving to cross the kitchen, but before he can, Erwin is reaching out, catching him by the waist. Before Levi knows what’s happening, Erwin is dipping down, pressing a quick kiss to the crown of his head. “I didn’t get to tell you good morning properly,” he says in explanation. 

Levi simply huffs in response, shoving at Erwin playfully. “Sap.”

Twenty minutes later, Levi finds himself seated across from Erwin at the table once more, devouring quite possibly the best breakfast he’s had in years. Isabel is a decent cook and all but  _ this _ , this is something else. 

“Shit,” Levi groans, “If you make breakfast like this every morning, I’m never leaving.”

Erwin laughs. “If you only came to use me for my cooking abilities, you might be a little disappointed.”

“Nah,” Levi replies around a mouthful of french toast, “I’ll use you for other things too.”

And  _ there. _ There it is again. The same feeling that Levi had as he stood at the foot of the stairs not even half an hour ago, watching Erwin before the other man noticed him standing there. It’s so surreal, sitting across from Erwin, listening to him laugh at Levi’s shitty jokes and teasing form of flirting, rather than hearing his voice through a phone. It’s real, but it’s not as terrifying as Levi thought it would be, as previous relationships have been. It feels good. 

Levi has to glance back down at his plate before Erwin catches him staring. “So,” he starts, changing the subject, “What’s the plan for today?”

“Well,” Erwin answers, “I was thinking we could take a drive up the coast. There are plenty of beautiful places for you to take some photos, and Mike has a friend who works at a nice hotel a few hours away. I could book us a room, if you’d like.”

Glancing up from his food, Levi raises his eyebrows. “Are you sure? You don’t have any work to do this weekend? I mean, I don’t mind hanging out here… I sort of just barged in and -”

“Levi,” Erwin interrupts, voice soft, sincere, “You aren’t a burden. I’d love to take you out, if you want to go.”

A warm feeling settles in Levi’s chest and he can’t help the smile that spreads across his face. “Is this a date, then?”

Erwin seems to consider the question and its implications before nodding. “If you want it to be.”

And yeah, Levi really does want that. 

After breakfast, Levi is quick to shower and get ready while Erwin busies himself planning out their short trip and booking a hotel room. Although he wouldn’t have been opposed to spending all weekend cooped up in Erwin’s house if it meant enjoying his company, he  _ is _ admittedly excited to get out and go on an adventure with the other man. 

So shortly after eleven, just after Levi finishes re-packing his bag and making sure his camera is fully charged, they head out together. And even this, sitting in the passenger seat of Erwin’s car feels unreal to Levi. As they pull out of his driveway and onto the street, Levi lets his gaze linger on the man behind the wheel, a man that a month ago, was simply just a familiar stranger from across the country. Now, Levi finds himself seated comfortably at his side, arm resting on the center console, window down, a small smile settling on his face. 

Just as he puts the car in drive, Erwin seems to feel the weight of Levi’s gaze and glances his way, shooting him a toothy smile in return. “Excited?”

“Yeah,” Levi replies easily. Then, before he knows what’s happening, Erwin is reaching across the console, threading their fingers together. It’s something that Levi has always considered childish, a little cheesy and too much - holding hands - but he doesn’t even think of pulling away from Erwin. Instead, he just squeezes his hand. 

“You gonna keep looking at me like that or are you gonna drive?” he teases softly, which earns a chuckle from Erwin.

* * *

 

In less than an hour, Levi is leaning forward in his seat as he watches blue take over the horizon, until everywhere he looks, he either sees beautiful landscape or endless water. It’s not that the man next to him in the car goes ignored, especially when conversation as they drive comes easy, but Levi will be damned if he doesn’t enjoy the view in front of them, as well. He has been to California plenty of times, but has never had the opportunity to really get out and shoot aside from some paid studio gigs or work in the city. He’s never driven along the coast or had the chance to really enjoy the scenery, and Erwin obviously knows him well despite this being their first in-person meeting, because he’s all smiles as Levi gazes out the windshield. 

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” he asks, turning down the radio slightly. 

“Yeah,” Levi breathes, “I’d kill to have a view like this only half an hour away at home. I mean, I love the city, but this…” He trails off, watching as the road in front of them crests the top of a hill, giving way to an even wider view of the drive ahead of them. Without another word, Levi is quickly turning on his camera, adjusting the exposure and taking a quick shot through the windshield. Dirt and bugs be damned, he’s not going to miss this moment. It’s not his usual style, but as Levi glances down at the back of his screen, he falls in love with the view all over again. 

“I wish I made it out like this more often,” Erwin admits while Levi thumbs through some of the settings on his camera. “I don’t get to as much as I’d like.”

“That’s a shame,” Levi replies, glancing back up at Erwin before gesturing in front of them, “Look at this.”

That earns a laugh from Erwin. “I know. I only really get to do this for special occasions nowadays.”

“ _ Special occasions _ , huh?” Levi asks in a teasing voice, to which Erwin simply nods. Levi knows very well how the other man feels about him, but it’s nice to have a reminder. Erwin is just excited to be driving along the coast with Levi at his side as Levi is to be here. 

“So,” Levi pulls his legs up, crossing them underneath him in his seat, getting comfortable for the long drive. “Where are some of your favorite places on the way there?”

“ _ My  _ favorites?” Erwin echoes, glancing Levi’s way.

“Yeah,” Levi confirms, “I’ve never done this before. You better be a good tour guide.”

Quickly, another smile finds its place on Erwin’s face. “Well, there are a couple of good but short hiking trails not too far away,” he answers, “They are some of my favorites because they’re not as popular as some of the others, so they’re a little more secluded.”

“Shit, Erwin, I asked you to show me a good time, not take me to the woods to murder me,” Levi teases. 

Erwin snorts out a surprised laugh. “I wasn’t -”

“It’s fine, the damage is done. I’ve accepted my fate,” Levi interrupts, but he’s unable to stop himself from chuckling as well. 

“I’m sorry, I meant to be more subtle about it,” Erwin plays along, “I didn’t mean for you to find out this way.”

“It’s cool,” Levi says, waving his hand dismissively at Erwin. “Okay, so there’s some pretty hiking trails around here…”

“There are some great overlooks close by, as well,” Erwin says, “You know, so I can dispose of your body easily.”

Levi snorts. “Yeah, of course.”

“And there are a couple of beautiful beaches near the hotel,” Erwin finishes. The smile on his face is practically permanent now, and the sight of it - the way it dimples Erwin’s cheeks slightly and touches his eyes - makes Levi’s chest feel warm. 

“That sounds good,” Levi says at last, leaning back into his seat. “I’m excited to see it all.”

“I’m excited to see your photos,” Erwin returns. 

“You’re going to be right there too,” Levi counters with a huff, “It’s the same thing.”

“No it isn’t,” Erwin insists, “There’s something about your photos, Levi… I’m sure you’ve heard it a million times, but you really do have an eye for it. You capture a different perspective than most people.”

_ I have heard it a lot, but it means more coming from you _ , Levi thinks but doesn’t say. Truthfully, it does make his cheeks warm just a little. Even though he’s been shooting professionally for years now, hearing a compliment like that from someone whose opinion he truly values… It’s better than anything else. 

But Levi ops for keeping the conversation light hearted rather than telling Erwin that now. Although things are more serious between them now than Levi ever intended for them to get, he’s unsure of how deep he really wants the conversation to get right now. 

“Yeah, I have a different perspective cause I’m short as fuck,” he mutters.

“That’s not -” Erwin laughs, “Levi, that’s not what I meant.”

“ _ Sure _ ,” Levi smirks at Erwin, who simply gives him an exasperated sigh. And just like that, they fall into comfortable banter again, as if they’ve been doing this for years. Looking back on his flight to California, Levi feels stupid for ever even entertaining the idea that he and Erwin might not get along as well in person as they have online or over the phone for the last few months. Nearly everything is exactly the same, except now, Levi can  _ see _ the way Erwin gets flustered when he teases him or really appreciate the way a smile lights up his eyes. Now, there’s no barrier stopping Levi from reaching out to hold Erwin’s hand when there is a lull in their conversation, simply reminding Erwin that he’s enjoying his company.

Before long, they’re pulling off of the highway and onto a much narrower paved road, which leads away from the ocean and into a thick grove of trees. Just like Erwin said, the hiking trail that they eventually arrive at - about fifteen minutes off of the main road - is fairly secluded and absolutely stunning. Even from where he sits in the car as they park, Levi gazes up at the treetops, admiring the way the afternoon light shines through the leaves. 

“We won’t be able to stay long if we want to make it there by nightfall,” Erwin says as they get out of the car, “But I wanted to bring you here. It’s one of my favorite hiking trails in this area.”

Normally, Levi would mask his amazement with a half-hearted, “ _ Not bad _ ,” but this and the fact that Erwin wanted to bring him here deserves much more than that. Instead, as he takes in the scenery, Levi murmurs, “It’s beautiful.”

“You haven’t even seen the best part,” Erwin says with a smile, “Come on.”

And just like that, he’s leading Levi towards a slightly overgrown trail. Upon first glance, Levi hadn’t even noticed it, his eyes trained on the main trail, which looks significantly more maintained and worn-down. There is a mile-marker in front of the less popular trail, signifying that it  _ is _ in fact, legit, but it leaves Levi curious. Why this one?

“What about the other trail?” he asks, even as he follows Erwin past the sign and into the trees. 

“The main trail isn’t bad either, but this one is my favorite,” Erwin replies easily. There seems to be a slight pep in his step as he leads the way, as if he’s just as anxious and excited as Levi to see what awaits them. 

“What makes this one so special?” 

“You’ll see,” Erwin answers, earning a scoff. 

“You know, I was kidding about the whole  _ dying  _ thing…” he jokes. 

Erwin laughs, turning to glance at Levi at that. He pauses for a moment, waiting for him to catch up. “I know. I promise I’m not some serial killer,” he assures. 

Levi snorts. “That’s what they all say.”

If he’s being honest, though, the overgrown trail is already absolutely stunning. The foliage is lush and green, and the way that the sunlight trickles in through the leaves and dapples the ground - and even Erwin’s face - is almost surreal. Whatever Erwin wants to show him, Levi trusts that it will be incredible, and instead of feeling anxious, he lifts his camera and takes a couple of wide shots of their surroundings, one narrow photo of the trail ahead of them, and then turns to frame Erwin’s smiling face in a shot before pressing the shutter. 

It isn’t until they finally reach a small clearing in the trees that Levi is actually rendered speechless, though. In fact, he actually comes to a halt when he lays his eyes on the sight before him, and quickly, he understands what Erwin was talking about. The clearing isn’t large by any means, probably only about twenty yards around, but rooted in the very center is a massive tree, at least in comparison to the surrounding pines. It’s not a redwood, but it is  _ huge _ . It would likely take at least three people to wrap their arms around the massive stump, and although it isn’t much taller than the surrounding trees, it definitely is impressive.

Wordlessly, Levi raises his camera and takes a quick photo, admiring the light that shines on his subject, which honestly looks otherworldly. It isn’t until he follows Erwin into the clearing and approaches the tree that he notices something else remarkable about it. Etched into ancient bark are hundreds, if not thousands of names and messages, hearts and modern hieroglyphics. Some look fresh, carved into the tree that very afternoon or maybe a few days prior, whereas some are indistinguishable and grown-over. 

“Holy shit,” Levi murmurs, reaching out to press his palm against the tree, just to make sure it’s real. 

“Incredible, isn’t it?” Erwin asks softly at his side. 

“Very,” Levi breaths, “This is insane. How did you find this?”

“It’s kind of a local secret,” he answers with a smile, “My father brought me here when I was a child.”

As Erwin explains, Levi takes a couple more shots of the tree and surrounding area, admiring its beauty. 

“He uh…” Erwin clears his throat, “He took my mother here on one of their first dates. Their names are carved somewhere on this tree, though I’m sure it would be impossible to find them.”

It isn’t until Erwin dives deeper into the history of the remarkable tree in front of them that the implications of it really seem to hit Levi. Erwin brought him here because this place is special to him. It  _ is _ rather strange and beautiful - right up Levi’s alley - but most of all, it’s very private and romantic. As Erwin shares the story about his parents, Levi quickly remembers why he’s here, and turns to face Erwin. 

“You’re a sap, you know that?” Levi murmurs, a smile tugging on his lips. 

“Pun intended?” Erwin shoots back, earning an eye roll from the smaller man as he approaches. 

Camera forgotten around his shoulder, Levi steps forward, his hands finding Erwin’s chest. “This is amazing,” he says softly, arching up on his toes, “Thank you for bringing me here.”

Wordlessly, Erwin meets him halfway in a kiss, and for a moment, time seems to stand still. For a moment, it’s just the two of them, alone on this beautiful, secluded trail, surrounded by history and romance and -

And then, Levi has an idea. 

As he pulls back, lowering himself onto his heels, he cocks his head at Erwin. “So are we gonna put our names on this bad boy or what?”

Erwin offers him a smile. “We don’t  _ have to _ -”

“Well, we didn’t come all this way  _ not _ to,” Levi suggests, “You got a knife?”

Erwin stuffs his hands into his pockets, but shakes his head. “No,” he mutters, “Just keys.”

“You were  _ so _ prepared for this romantic date,” Levi teases softly. He holds his hand out, and without being told, Erwin deposits his keys into his palm. “Come on, we need to find a good spot.”

Unsurprisingly, there isn’t much available canvas lower on the massive tree, nearly every inch covered by some sort of carving. However, the higher Levi looks, the more open space he sees. “Help me up?” he asks once he’s underneath a decent-sized branch, just barely out of his reach. 

With a smile, Erwin easily helps Levi climb up into the tree, then follows suit himself until they’re both situated on the large branch. It only takes a second for Levi to single out a small empty space at about eye-level. 

“This is gonna be a pain in the ass with a key,” he mutters as he begins carving into the bark, “I’m just gonna do our initials.”

Erwin chuckles. “Sounds good to me.”

It doesn’t take long, though, before Levi has successfully carved a thick “L” and “E” into the tree, and when he takes a tentative step back to admire his work, Erwin his sturdy behind him. 

“You forgot something,” Erwin says, plucking the keys from Levi’s hand.

“I swear to god, if you draw a heart -”

Erwin chuckles. “Too cheesy?”

“A little,” Levi scoffs. 

Instead, Erwin simply adds a little plus sign between their initials. “There.”

Levi can’t help but smile at their handiwork, and wordlessly, he’s lifting his camera to take a quick photo. 

“So, did the tree wow your mom?” Levi asks once he and Erwin are both back down on solid ground and heading back in the direction that they came. 

Erwin chuckles. He squeezes Levi’s hand where they’re connected, fingers laced together as they walk through the woods. “According to my father, yes,” he says, “Apparently he insisted on climbing as high as possible into the tree so their names wouldn’t get covered up. She insists that he was just trying to show off.”

Levi huffs out a small laugh, but before he can think of something to say in response, Erwin is turning the question around him. “What about you?”

“What?”

Erwin smiles. “Did the tree  _ wow _ you?”

“ _ Maybe _ ,” Levi scoffs, but his smile and the way his face heats up at the question gives him away. Yeah, it was impressive and incredibly romantic and maybe just a  _ little _ cheesy. But Levi feels thankful that Erwin wanted to bring him here, to this place that is obviously so special to him. 

“So when did your parents meet?” Levi asks once they’re back in the car and on their way back onto the highway. 

“They met when they were kids, but didn’t start dating until college,” Erwin answers with a smile, “My dad would always say that they were high school sweethearts, but my mom insists that he was too insufferable to date until he finally grew up a little.”

Levi scoffs. “I’m assuming that’s where you get your dad jokes from.”

“Hah,” Erwin shakes his head, “He was worse than me. I go easy on you.”

As someone who has lost a parent, Levi quickly picks up on the way that Erwin speaks about his father in the past tense. Immediately, curiosity gets the better of him and he wants to ask, but holds his tongue. Although he and Erwin are still getting to know one another, he knows better than to ask outright. Erwin will tell him eventually, and Levi is in no hurry to learn everything about the other man right away. 

“So where to next?” he opts to change the subject instead, eyes on the open road.

However, when Erwin doesn’t answer right away, Levi’s gaze turns to the driver’s seat, where the other man is smiling at him fondly. Before Levi can tease him about it, though, Erwin seems to shake himself out of it. “I was thinking we could get some driving in and visit the beach, then maybe get some lunch near the hotel.”

Levi nods. “Sounds good.”

* * *

 

After that, they don’t stop for about another couple of hours. The drive is absolutely stunning, and Levi does take a few more photos through the windshield, but he opts to enjoy the sights or make conversation with Erwin instead of focusing on photos. The exception comes when Erwin eventually pulls off of the highway once more in favor of parking near a significantly more popular hiking trail that leads down to the beach. Although more crowded, the view is beautiful, and Levi can’t help but take some more photos as Erwin leads him down to the shore. 

Unsurprisingly, the subject of many of his photos ends up being his date, as well. Although the sights are stunning, Levi can’t get enough of the little smiles that Erwin shoots his way and the softness of his face as he gazes out over the ocean, the color reflecting in the pools of his eyes. Eventually, Erwin notices this and inevitably teases Levi about it. 

“Shouldn’t you be taking photos of the scenery?” he asks after Levi takes one particularly obvious photo of him while out on the beach. Erwin is holding his shoes and socks in one hand so he can walk barefoot through the sand, and it made for a stunning photo, the way the light hit him. Hell, any photo of Erwin is good. 

“I am,” Levi simply mutters in response, shooting Erwin a look over his camera before snapping another photo, this time of him laughing. 

Shortly after leaving the beach and making the hike up to the car, Levi and Erwin are back on the highway, with less than an hour between them and the hotel. From there, they stop at some tiny little diner, which Levi frowns at as they pull up, but Erwin insists is much better than it looks.

Upon walking inside, Levi is overwhelmed with the amount of photos, memorabilia and knick knacks hanging from the walls and ceilings and even situated on and above the bar and some of the booths. It has character, he’ll give it that, but it’s also incredibly cluttered and messy looking. However, once they take a seat, Levi’s taking a wide photo of the diner. Might as well.

“What do you think?” Erwin asks, leaning forward on their small table. 

Levi glances around the room once more. “It’s… interesting,” he settles with.

“I know, it’s a little cluttered,” Erwin seems to read Levi’s mind, “But I promise the food is worth it.” 

“Don’t tell me you stole this idea from your parents, too,” Levi teases, leaning forward as well. 

“No, no,” Erwin chuckles, “I actually discovered this place a few years ago when I was driving to go visit my mom. I was about as impressed as you are right now until I got my lunch.”

“I’ll take your word for it, then,” Levi mutters. After a glance over the menu, he orders a burger - something safe, just in case - and sits back. And of course, the food is just as incredible as Erwin promises, as Levi learns about half an hour later. As he eats and enjoys the company, the diner slowly becomes less cluttered and more quaint, and by the time they depart, he understands why Erwin brought him here, as well. 

“I just want you to know,” Levi says, as he climbs back into the passenger seat of Erwin’s car, “That you’ve pretty much ruined me for any future dates. They’re all going to have to one-up this one.” 

Erwin chuckles. “And the day isn’t even over yet.” 

“ _ Yeah _ ?” Levi smirks, “What’s that supposed to mean? You got something up your sleeve for tonight, too?”

“Maybe,” Erwin teases with a sly smile, “You’ll just have to wait and see.”

And  _ shit _ . Levi never thought he’d be so excited to get to the hotel. 


	9. Thinking About You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "I've been thinking about you lately baby" - [I Love You](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-yRKqB9fQ4) \- Laureline
> 
> FINALLY. This chapter took so freaking long to write but I'm so glad to finally have it finished.  
> To be honest, I'm just really looking forward to writing fluff and these two lovebirds for a few more chapters. I'm hoping to update at least once a month now, so keep an eye out. 
> 
> Also PLEASE go listen to the song linked above CAUSE IT'S SO PRETTY.

Erwin knew that the hotel was on the higher end before he booked their stay, but Mike’s friend, Nanaba had given him a  _ friends and family _ discount and admittedly, spending the extra money on a nicer room was going to be worth it - he knew it. However, he certainly hadn’t been expecting a  _ suite _ when he booked their one night stay that morning, but that’s what the room appears to be as Erwin takes in the sight of it in the doorway. 

They arrive just before sunset, so even before flicking on the overhead lights, the sunlight that shines in through the large windows illuminates the room well enough to see the majority of it. About as large as his kitchen, dining room and living room combined, the dated yet beautiful suite consists of a bar and small dining area, a sofa and a couple of armchairs that make up a sitting area, a large restroom and of course, a king size bed, situated against the wall of the room, opposite of the huge window, which overlooks an ocean view. 

Alright, Erwin went a little overboard, but with the discount, the room really didn’t put a dent in his wallet, and if Levi had come here to see him, they might as well go all out. Still, that doesn’t stop him from gaping at their living quarters, and apparently, Levi is in the same boat. As soon as he steps into the room, duffel bag and backpack in hand, he stops, eyes wide. 

_ “Holy shit.” _

Erwin smiles at Levi’s reaction, but says nothing as he begins to make himself at home, depositing his own overnight bag next to the bed before toeing off his shoes and making his way to gaze outside the window. Their room is on the third and highest floor of the (admittedly rather quaint) hotel, overlooking the courtyard, swimming pool and of course, the beach. Honestly, it couldn’t be more romantic. Erwin didn’t necessarily plan it this way, but he’s not complaining. 

Meanwhile, Levi drops his own bags alongside Erwin’s, surveying the room himself. He had safely assumed that Erwin wasn’t going to book them some shitty motel room for the night, but this… “This is…”

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Erwin asks, turning from his view to glance in Levi’s direction.

“I was going to say overkill,” Levi supplies, his wandering eyes coming to rest on Erwin, “But yeah. Beautiful. You bring all of your dates here?”

The question is well-meaning, teasing, but deep down, Levi also can’t help but wonder if this is just how Erwin  _ is _ . Does he tend to go all-out like this for his dates, in an attempt to impress them? Is this something he does for anyone he’s interested in? It’s stupid to think like that, but a small part of Levi wonders if he’s not the first person Erwin has brought here. 

And despite his lighthearted tone, Erwin seems to pick up on Levi’s slight insecurity, as well. He is quick to assure him otherwise, taking a few steps forward to close the distance between them, his brow drawn in concern. “No,” he murmurs, reaching for Levi’s hips to pull him closer. Levi allows him to do so, even taking a step forward into Erwin’s personal space, accepting the display of affection. And his voice pitches lower as he assures Levi, “Just you.”

_ Shit _ .

Levi swallows, looking up at the man before him. The dying afternoon light highlights Erwin’s hair, bringing out the blues and even hints of green in his earnest eyes, and now, finally alone in their hotel room, Levi can’t take his own eyes off of him. 

“You know this is going to ruin me, right?” Levi mutters. His own hands come up to find Erwin’s elbows, his forearms, anchoring them together. “I mean shit, Erwin, this is one hell of a first date.”

Erwin laughs at Levi’s crass tone. Meanwhile, his fingers begin to brush gentle patterns into Levi’s hips, up his sides and back down. “I was just thinking the same thing,” he agrees, “And we still have a few hours until the day is over.”

“Well, no more surprises, okay?” Levi says, a soft demand. “You’re going to make me look like shit when I take you out.”

“When  _ you _ take me out?” Erwin echoes. A smile begins to play on his lips, his eyes lighting up. 

“Yeah,” Levi confirms, “I mean, if you ever find yourself in New York again.”

One of Erwin’s hands finds its way to Levi’s face, thumb brushing his cheek softly. “I think we can arrange that.” 

“Good,” Levi huffs. “Just don’t expect anything this intricate.”

Erwin chuckles. “It’s overkill, huh?”

“Yeah,” Levi mutters again, but he can’t help but smile. When he was on his way to California, he hoped for something good, but he never could have imagined  _ this _ . It shatters all of his expectations. 

“So what do you want to do with the rest of our night?” Erwin asks at last. As his hand falls from Levi’s face, he cocks his head to the side, “If you’re hungry, we could go get dinner, or if you’re feeling up for it, we can go down to the beach, or -”

“ _ Or _ ,” Levi interrupts, stepping impossibly closer to Erwin. At this angle, he has to tilt his head up to look him in the eyes, can practically feel the heat radiating off of his body. His hands slide up, up Erwin’s chest, to his shoulders and around the back of his neck. “We could just stay in.”

Erwin hums, quickly understanding the implications of Levi’s words. “That sounds nice, too.”

And at that, Levi is arching up, meeting Erwin halfway for a soft kiss, which gradually turns into something more. Hands that were once resting lightly on Levi’s hips become heavy, sliding around his middle to anchor him in place. Levi, in turn, tilts his head ever so slightly, opening his mouth, inviting Erwin to deepen the kiss, which he quickly does. They’ve moved on from tentative pecks and teasing tongues since yesterday and instead, Levi licks into Erwin’s mouth with confidence, nipping at his bottom lip teasingly and reveling in the soft intake of breath the press of his teeth earns. 

While Levi's fingers find their way into the short hairs at the base of Erwin’s skull, Erwin’s own grip becomes sturdier, more confident, and when the kiss finally ends, it’s with a sharp intake of breath and a heavy gaze from the smaller man. After composing himself, Levi untangles his hands from Erwin’s body, pressing palms flat against his chest to shove, just barely, a smirk falling across his face. Erwin, a quick learner, takes a step back, but not before reaching out to catch one of Levi’s wrists, leading him backwards toward the large bed on the opposite end of the room. 

And if Erwin thought Levi’s words were intoxicating, then the look he gives him now is something else entirely. Eyes low, his gaze burns holes into Erwin, stripping him to the core before he even removes one piece of clothing. Those eyes are full of intent, and Erwin knows where this is headed before his heels even find the edge of the bed.

Sure enough, as soon as he feels the solid form behind him, Levi is shoving once more, and Erwin stumbles backward, catching himself at the last moment before falling onto the mattress. Levi moves with such speed and grace that Erwin can’t help the way his lips part in awe as he watches him toe off his shoes and shed his light coat before following Erwin onto the bed, straddling him just how he had been on the sofa the night before. This time, their weight dips into the plush mattress a little bit more, though, and Erwin has to make an effort not to fall back when Levi dips down to kiss him again, the breath knocked from his lungs. 

This time, once he gets his bearings straight, Erwin feels much more confident kissing Levi, holding him in his lap. While Levi’s hands go straight to Erwin’s hair, tugging on pretty blonde strands, Erwin is quick to use his own leverage to pull the man impossibly closer, his own fingers raking up and down his back before coming to rest over his ass. If it wasn’t already apparent where this was headed, then Erwin solidifies his own intentions by giving Levi’s behind a soft squeeze. 

Against his lips, Levi breathes a soft laugh. “There you go,” he murmurs, his words nearly swallowed up by Erwin’s lips when he surges forward to kiss him once more. A few more pecks, and Levi is moving, dipping his head to mouth at Erwin’s jaw and nip gently at his neck, breath hot on his skin. Tilting his head back, Erwin allows the assault to continue, and Levi takes it as an invitation to suck a kiss into the skin before continuing downwards, resting his face in the crook of Erwin’s neck.

And when he speaks, Erwin can practically feel Levi’s deep voice in his bones, rattling him to the core. It’s one thing to hear it though a phone speaker, but to feel the words murmured against his skin is something else entirely. “You have no idea how bad I want you.”

When Levi speaks, his hands move, wrapping around Erwin’s shoulders in the form of a hug. It’s a bit more intimate than that, though, as Levi proves by rocking his hips experimentally against Erwin’s. “You know, you left me hanging last night and -”

“Hey, you fell asleep,” Erwin gently chides. A thumb hooks into Levi’s belt loop, pulling him impossibly closer. As if to show his own interest, he shifts his own weight underneath Levi, certain that, even though it’s restrained by his own pants, his hardness presses against the smaller man. 

“Yeah, well would you have fucked me if I hadn’t?” Levi asks, his voice rough, crude. 

Erwin opens his mouth, but closes it immediately, unsure of what to say now. The implication of Levi’s words hits him hard. Although they’ve discussed this before, it’s different, having the smaller man right here in his lap, in his grip. 

Yeah, the way things were headed last night, he would have had no problem laying Levi out on his couch and fucking him right there, but he’s not sure how to say that without sounding completely lewd. Unless, of course, that’s what Levi wants. 

Those suspicions are confirmed when Levi opens his mouth once more. “Come on, Erwin,” he coaxes, mouthing at his neck, “We’ve done this before… What did you want to do to me?”

And, similar to the first time that Erwin first heard Levi’s voice like this, his words are his undoing. Feeling a surge of confidence at the way that Levi shifts impatiently in his lap, Erwin allows the words to come out. Levi seemed to like them before, so…

“Well,” Erwin murmurs thoughtfully, hands squeezing gently once more, “I would have liked to take you apart piece by piece… Until you were breathless, desperate.”

“There you go…” Levi coaxes. He rewards Erwin with a wet kiss on his neck before planting another on his lips. Then, against them, breathless, he asks, “What else?”

“If you wanted,” Erwin breathes, “I’d let you ride me on the couch.”

And  _ that _ , that seems to get a reaction from Levi. The smaller man sits back at that, in order to look Erwin in the eyes. “Yeah?” he asks. The question seems genuine, as if he didn’t expect to hear the words from Erwin’s mouth. 

Erwin smiles, confidence surging through him at the realization that he just surprised Levi and at the fact that he doesn’t seem put off by the words. Instead of retracting them, Erwin decides to take the plunge. 

“Yeah,” he echoes, his hands leaving Levi’s ass for the time being, in favor of holding onto his waist. He leans in, pressing a kiss to Levi’s lips that quickly escalates, the smaller man returning the gesture enthusiastically, hips rocking gently against Erwin. By now, their kisses are becoming messy, a little more desperate, and Erwin almost allows Levi to swallow him whole, but he hasn’t quite said everything he wants to yet, so regretfully, he pulls away for a moment, in favor of brushing his lips against Levi’s jaw, his cheek, all the way to his ear.

Voice soft, he murmurs, just loud enough for Levi to hear, “The way you move your hips,it’s hard not to imagine you bouncing up and down on my cock.”

Levi stills at that, his whole body freezing at Erwin’s words.  _ “Shit.” _

And for a moment, Erwin celebrates his small victory. It seems that he finally managed to catch Levi - confident, sexual Levi - off guard. However, he’s quick to bounce back. Before Erwin knows what’s happening, Levi is repositioning his weight, rolling his hips in a way that draws a gasp from Erwin’s lips. 

“Like that?” he breathes the question, lips suddenly close to Erwin’s ear. 

“Yeah,” Erwin sighs, “Like that.”

And that’s about when all of his resolve goes out the window. Suddenly, Levi is kissing him again, and it takes all of Erwin’s self control not to undress him right now, to keep things slow, sensual. Thankfully, Levi seems just as impatient as him, because in no time, he’s shifting, leaning back to eye Erwin for a moment before reaching for his shirt. Picking up where they left off last night, he pulls at the hem of Erwin’s tee, only this time, they aren’t interrupted. This time, Erwin obliges, leaning back slightly, lifting his arms when it’s asked of him so Levi can pull his shirt up and over his head. Then, there’s a pair of sturdy hands on his chest, and Levi is muttering curses under his breath. 

“How the fuck are you real?” he hisses, eyes raking in the sight of Erwin’s upper body. He’s seen shirtless photos of the man beneath him, but nothing compares to the real deal. He should have anticipated that, at the very least. 

Erwin chuckles underneath him, his hands sliding around his middle, pulling him close again. “I could say the same about you.”

“Nuh uh,” Levi shakes his head, his bangs falling into his eyes. It’s endearing, even as he reaches up to push them back. “You’re not allowed to sweet talk me right now, not looking like  _ that _ .”

Erwin smiles at Levi’s words, but before the smaller man can think to say or do anything else, he’s also quickly moving, using his leverage and the arms around Levi’s middle to suddenly turn, flipping their positions in the blink of eye. Suddenly, Levi is lying on the bed, flat on his back, legs spread while Erwin kneels in between them. The movement knocks the breath from his lungs for a moment, which is all it takes for Erwin to lean down, lips brushing his ear. “You’re stunning, Levi,” he murmurs, voice hot, wet, “Don’t sell yourself short.”

And  _ shit _ . Levi sucks in a sharp breath, exhaling on a nervous, giddy chuckle.

“Jesus Christ,” he mutters, even as his arms wrap around Erwin’s shoulders, keeping him close, “And here I was thinking you were this innocent, vanilla angel. What the fuck, Erwin?”

Erwin laughs against Levi’s skin, pressing a few kissing onto his neck. “I’m full of surprises,” he teases. 

And Levi opens his mouth to say something smartass, to talk shit or egg Erwin on, but he’s rendered speechless when the other man takes the opportunity to press a hand against the hard line of Levi’s groin. 

_ “Fuck _ , _ ”  _ he mutters as soon as he comes to his senses, arching his hips up into the touch, “Shit, Erwin.”

“I’ve been dying to hear you like this,” Erwin murmurs against Levi’s skin, continuing his assault on Levi’s neck as he palms him through his pants, “It’s much better than through the phone, don’t you think?”

“Jesus,  _ fuck _ ,” Levi mutters in response, vocabulary temporarily rendered to nothing but curses. The sudden shift in dynamic and mood has his brain short-circuiting as he struggles to keep up. Over the phone, it took quite a bit of coaxing to get Erwin to come out of his shell, but now… Now it seems like he’s in his element, and Levi scrambles to keep up. 

Finally, after a few deep breaths and a moment to reel himself in, Levi comes to his senses. His fingers dig into Erwin’s shoulders, blunt nails pressing into the skin just slightly. Two can play at this game. He rocks up into Erwin’s hand now, hips rolling, confident. “You have no fucking idea,” he mutters, voice rough. “You at least have photos of me. All I’ve had to get off on has been that fucking voice of yours.” 

Erwin hums thoughtfully against Levi. “Let’s change that then.”

“Deal.” At that, he’s suddenly sitting up, causing Erwin to pull back, eyeing him curiously. Without another word, Levi quickly begins to rid himself of his own shirt, tossing it onto the floor to join Erwin’s. From there, he begins to unbutton his own pants as the other man watches on. 

Eventually, Levi pauses, cocking his head at Erwin when he his sits there, admiring the view. 

“Well?” he asks, smirk pulling on his lips, “Are you just gonna keep talking shit, or are you gonna put your money where your mouth is?”

Erwin simply smiles, and before Levi has a chance to continue pulling his pants off, they’re kissing again. This time, Levi remains propped up on his elbows while Erwin barricades him between his arms. Suddenly, the other man’s weight and size becomes very apparent to Levi, who lies vulnerable underneath him, and he wants nothing more than to feel that very weight pressing into him, those hands and lips and that body bringing him to release.

He wants  _ Erwin _ .

They don’t kiss for long before Erwin is pulling back, just slightly, reaching down to help Levi finish shimmying out of his pants, allowing them to join the growing pile of clothes on the floor. Wordlessly, Erwin reaches down, running a finger up Levi’s clothed erection, only a thin layer of fabric between skin on skin, and then Levi’s dragging him back down again. 

This time, the kiss is desperate, messy. They part when Levi gasps, feet flat on the bed as he arches his hips up against Erwin sturdy form, then collide once more, sighs and gasps and soft words of encouragement mingling. It’s slow, but rushed and desperate all the same. Erwin isn’t in a hurry to undress, nor is he scrambling to pull Levi’s underwear off, but the way he kisses gives him away - he’s just as excited as the man beneath him, who arches up into any form of contact, sighing out a soft moan whenever Erwin reaches down to palm him. They’re not in a hurry, but their movements are somewhat frantic, Levi desperate to touch every inch of Erwin that he can, Erwin trying to map out every inch of Levi’s mouth, his jaw, his throat. When he slides a hand up Levi’s stomach, up until he pinches a hard nipple, it earns cry from the man beneath him, and they pause for a moment, suspended in air. 

Erwin’s lips twitch into a smile and Levi’s eyes narrow. _ “You motherfucker.” _

But he doesn’t fight it when Erwin descends on him, mouthing at his nipples or sucking kisses into his abdomen. The thought of Erwin’s mouth moving lower and lower has Levi tangling his fingers in the other man’s hair instead, hips desperately arching up, even into nothing. 

“You’re stunning, Levi,” Erwin murmurs against his skin, hands sliding up as his mouth moves south, fingers scratching up his stomach, brushing gently over nipples before repeating the motion back down. 

And all Levi can manage is a choked off,  _ “Fuck.” _

Finally, after what feels like forever, Erwin hooks his fingers under the waistband of Levi’s boxer-briefs, and when the smaller man lifts his hips, he tugs, pulling them down and off, leaving him naked and writhing on the bed. Sitting back on his heels, Erwin takes a moment to admire the sight before him before Levi is sneering in his direction. It’s endearing, and he can’t help but smile. 

“What’s that look for?” Erwin asks gently. 

In return, Levi sits up, ignoring his own neglected cock in favor of reaching forward to begin unbuttoning Erwin’s pants. “This isn’t fair,” he mutters, “You’ve got me all worked up and naked but you’re not even -”

Levi’s words are cut short, however, when Erwin grabs his wrists, using his leverage to overpower him, pressing him back down into the mattress. Leaning in, Erwin kisses Levi’s breathless lips. “But I believe I said something about holding you down?” he murmurs, a half-question.

“What are you -”

“On the phone,” Erwin clarifies, “Correct me if I’m wrong but -”

“Oh,  _ fuck _ ,” Levi bites, quickly understanding Erwin’s train of thought. He’s referring to what Levi had coaxed out of him, that first time he had Erwin breathing his name into the phone. What were the words he had used? Levi hasn’t quite forgotten them, has gotten off to memories of them since…

_ I’d hold you down. Grab your hips, pin your wrists above your head… Stretch you out. _

_ Shit _ .

Levi’s hips twitch at the memory, his belly hot at the realization that Erwin’s been thinking about this as much as he has. 

“Good to see you’re sticking to your word,” Levi finally says as soon as he trusts himself to speak. 

Erwin kisses him at that, desperate and needy. It doesn’t last long, but it leaves both men breathless. “If that’s what you want,” Erwin murmurs, just to be sure. His words have Levi nodding immediately, fists clenching where they’re pinned against the mattress. 

It’s then that Erwin finally gives him what he wants, pressing his weight against Levi as their lips meet once more, this time, taking control of the kiss. He sucks Levi’s bottom lip into his mouth, abusing it until Levi’s squirming, nearly whining at the overstimulation, and then, he’s continuing his descent downwards to his throat, the junction of his neck and his shoulder, his chest. Eventually, Erwin has to abandon Levi’s wrists in favor of moving lower, his hands finding their place on his hips, and as he does so, Levi allows his fingers to curl into Erwin’s hair. 

This time, Erwin does lick a broad stripe up the underside of Levi’s cock, earning a gasp from the man below him. Fingers pressing gently into Levi’s hips, he holds him down as he kisses up his shaft, down his thighs, turning Levi into squirming mess beneath him. It isn’t until Erwin releases his grip with one hand to reach down, pressing a finger against Levi’s entrance that the smaller man finally makes a noise, though, and when he does, it’s absolutely stunning. The shuddering moan isn’t loud by any means, but it catches both men by surprise, and when Erwin glances up at Levi, he meets dark, hooded eyes. 

Another pass, thumb pressing just a bit harder against the muscle earns a gasp, sucked between clenched teeth. “Fuck Erwin,  _ come on _ .”

It’s then that Erwin pauses, making eye contact with Levi to ensure that this is okay. “Do you want -”

_ “Yeah _ ,” Levi interrupts before he can say anything else in that smooth tone of his, “Come on, I want you.” 

And that’s all the convincing Erwin needs. Although he promised to drag things out, to leave Levi breathless, he also wants this too, and he can only be patient for so long. Erwin sits back, admiring the sight before him for a moment before he’s turning, reaching down to unzip his bag and grab something from inside. 

Levi is sitting up on his elbows once more when Erwin returns with lube and condoms, and he offers a smirk at the sight. “You were pretty confident about this, huh?” he teases. 

Erwin chuckles, setting the items on the bed before making work of his pants. “I had an idea.”

Quickly, Levi sits up, batting Erwin’s hands away in order to help, and in a few moments, Erwin is undressing, finally naked in front of Levi. Levi, who opens his mouth to say something smartass, over-confident or cocky, but the words die on his tongue. Levi knew Erwin was good looking, but he’s absolutely gorgeous in front of him like this, a small smile pulling on his lips, toned abs and hard, leaking cock springing free from the confines of his underwear. Levi is rendered speechless, so instead of saying anything, he’s reaching forward, grabbing Erwin by the back of the neck and pulling him forward for another bruising kiss. From there, he moves on instinct, spreading his legs once more to accommodate Erwin’s larger form, arching up into the feeling of his weight on top of him. Levi wants to touch, wants to take things slow and really admire Erwin’s body, but he’s also desperate and he wants Erwin’s cock,  _ now _ , so that will have to wait until next time.

Thankfully, Erwin seems to share his intentions, because before long, he’s reaching forward on the bed to grab the lube, popping the cap open with one hand and spreading it over his fingers with the other. Wordlessly, lips attached to Levi’s neck while the smaller man digs blunt fingernails into his shoulders, Erwin reaches down, down, until slick fingers are pressing at Levi’s hole. 

“I have to admit, I’m a little out of practice,” Erwin murmurs against Levi’s neck, quite possibly one of the most laughable things he has said all day considering their current position. “So please, let me know if you need anything.”

Arms tightening around him, Levi presses back against Erwin’s fingers, just barely, biting out, “Erwin, I need you to fuck me.”

And that seems to do the trick. Following a breathy laugh, Erwin is pressing a silencing kiss to Levi’s lips as he begins to press a finger inside of him. The only thing he regrets in doing so is the fact that he swallows up the delicious sounds that Levi makes as they kiss, rather than allowing them to ring out into the quiet hotel room. 

Levi is tight and admittedly, Erwin’s fingers are much bigger than his own, so he can’t help the way he clenches slightly at the intrusion before relaxing into Erwin’s touch, sucking in a deep breath through his nose and moaning into the kiss. Despite the initial discomfort, the pressure ignites something inside of Levi, and before long, he’s rocking his hips back against Erwin’s finger, silently urging him to press deeper, to move a little faster.

Thankfully, Erwin seems to take the hint, bottoming out before pulling back once more to repeat the action. It isn’t until he begins to add another finger that he finally ends the kiss with a soft peck, partially because he wants to hear the noises that Levi makes, and also to give him a breather. And at the added pressure, Levi doesn’t disappoint, another stuttering moan leaving his lips, even as he presses his face into the crook of Erwin’s neck. 

Erwin kisses his temple, coaxing the sounds out of Levi with a crook of his fingers. “There you go,” he murmurs, tone encouraging, “You sound incredible, Levi.”

_ “Shit,” _ Levi sighs, “Erwin, ah -” He throws his head back when Erwin presses his fingers against his prostrate, body seizing, tightening, then going limp. 

“Right there?”

Levi nods against Erwin’s sturdy form, “Yeah,  _ fuck.” _ His voice sounds dirty, thick and happy, going straight to Erwin’s groin. 

It isn’t until Erwin is able to press three fingers into the smaller man that he finally decides that he’s ready, though, partially because he can’t wait any longer and partially because Levi is practically begging for his cock, squirming on his fingers. As soon as he rolls the condom on, Erwin is quick to line his hips up, lifting Levi’s slightly for leverage. And with another silencing kiss, he’s pressing inside. Only this time, it isn’t just Levi moaning into the kiss, but Erwin as well. 

When Erwin finally ends the kiss, its to open his eyes and gaze down at the man beneath him. Levi, his eyes shut, eyelashes fanning out across his cheeks, mouth parted in a gasp. It reminds Erwin of the photos that Levi has sent him - the ones from his glittery photo shoot and the more intimate ones from a hotel room in another country. But  _ this _ , this is much better. When Erwin doesn’t move right away, the moment is broken, Levi’s eyes opening to gaze up at Erwin, filled with fire and lust and something Erwin can’t quite place.

“ _ Fuck _ ,” Levi mutters, his voice thick, gravely. It goes straight to Erwin’s chest. He’s reaching out at that, fingers grasping at Erwin’s shoulders, the back of his neck, anything to anchor him in place. “Fuck, Erwin, come on…” 

Levi is practically begging him to move, hips rocking against him, and it’s then that Erwin finally comes to his senses, pulling out just to push back in a little harder, a little deeper, the sensation causing his head to fall forward onto Levi’s shoulder. He revels in the gasp that the action earns from Levi, the feeling of his tightness surrounding him, and repeats the action, gradually building a rhythm. 

Beneath him, Levi is anything but quiet, sighing out in pleasure each time Erwin presses deeper inside him, lips working on Erwin’s neck, leaving a trail of wet kisses in their wake. As he moves, Erwin reaches forward, his hands finding Levi’s, lacing their fingers together before pulling them over the smaller man’s head. The action earns another sharp intake of breath, and it’s then that they finally fall into rhythm, Levi’s hips working against Erwin’s, his hands gripping the other man’s tightly. It isn’t lost on Levi that Erwin is still making good on his promise - pulling his arms above his head, stretching him out - and the thought of that causes him to gasp out sharply again.

It also causes Levi to become a little more emboldened.

“That’s it,” Levi murmurs, swallowing a moan in an effort to keep his voice composed, despite the other man fucking into him, despite the fact that Erwin has his arms pinned down. If Levi knows anything, it’s that he can get to Erwin with his voice and his words, make this just as good for Erwin as it is for him. 

“Come on -” Levi gasps on a particularly hard thrust, throwing his head back slightly. It takes him a moment to regain composure, but when he does, he’s relentless. “Just like that,  _ fuck _ Erwin, you feel so good.”

Erwin groans at Levi’s words, his face buried into the crook of his neck, breath hot on his skin. And just like that, his pace quickens, the slapping of skin on skin echoing throughout the room. Levi opens his mouth to say something else, to keep talking shit and egging the other man on, but it’s at that moment that Erwin’s cock presses against the perfect spot inside of him, causing Levi to cry out, his body tensing, fingers tightening impossibly around Erwin’s. 

After that, it isn’t long before Erwin’s pace quickens, before he pulls back slightly, relinquishing his grip on Levi’s hands to tangle his fingers in his hair, leaning down for a messy kiss. Levi is quick to arch up into it, meeting Erwin halfway, gasping and moaning into his mouth, swallowing the sweet sounds that the other man makes. It’s that - the closeness, the feeling of Erwin all over him, the sound of his voice and the way he fucks into him so perfectly that causes Levi to finally fall over the edge, pulling away from their kiss to bury his face in Erwin’s shoulder, fingers grasping onto sweaty skin. Erwin comes shortly after, the feeling of Levi tightening impossibly around him bringing him to release, fingers tightening impossibly on every inch of skin they can reach.

And for a moment, time stands still. As both men come down from their respective high, the room is silent save for the sound of deep breaths, of sheets rustling when Erwin moves for a moment to toss the condom in the trash bin before settling back down next to Levi. Levi, who huffs out a soft chuckle at his side after a few quiet moments.  

When Erwin turns to glance in his direction, he’s stunned by the realization that he’s here yet again. Even now, it’s such an unbelievable sight to see Levi next to him, face relaxed, eyes closed, lashes casting shadows across his cheeks, his skin a warm tone in the glow of the orange sunset shining through the window. Only now, it finally feels real. 

“Hmm?” Erwin asks wordlessly in response to Levi’s soft laugh. He props himself up on his elbow, taking a moment to admire the other man’s body once more before he opens his eyes. 

When he glances up though, he seems to have been caught. Levi is watching him with a small smile pulling at his lips. 

“Still trying to wrap my head around this,” Levi says with another little huff. 

Erwin smiles in return, leaning forward to press a gentle kiss to Levi’s head. It almost feels familiar. Like he could get used to this. “I am too,” he agrees.

“It’s good, though,” Levi is quick to assure, glancing up at Erwin when he pulls back once more. “Like…  _ Shit _ . Yeah, it was good.”

Erwin chuckles in response. “Good ending to a good date?”

“You can say that again.” Levi glances down at them, at the mess of their room - clothes strewn across the floor and Erwin’s half-opened bag and begins to laugh again, this time shaking his head. Before Erwin has a chance to ask, he points out, “The bed is still made.”

And that’s what finally has Erwin letting out a hearty laugh. The situation is weird and unorthodox and backwards in so many ways, but for them, it feels perfect - neatly made bed and all.

* * *

 

By the time they finish cleaning off, get dressed and get properly settled into their room, the sun has long set. Outside the window, Erwin can see the way the lights from the beach reflect off of the ocean if he looks hard enough, but he doesn’t press Levi to take a walk down to the water, as romantic as it would be. By nightfall, the day’s journey and following events have taken a toll on both men, who find themselves crawling into their shared bed to watch a movie rather than going for a stroll or late night swim. And for some reason,  _ this _ feels more romantic and intimate than anything else.

Without a word, Levi easily settles next to Erwin in bed, his head finding its way onto Erwin's  shoulder as they choose a movie, his fingers dancing lazily and mindlessly along his chest and arms while his eyes focus on the television. The majority of the night is quiet, save for a few soft words here and there, so when Levi huffs out a soft laugh during the movie, Erwin glances down at him.

Before he can ask why, Levi is quick to break the silence. “Did you ever think you’d be here?” he asks, “ _ We’d _ be here? When we first started talking?”

At that, the movie is quickly forgotten, the sound fading into the background. Erwin smiles. “No,” he answers truthfully, “Not in a million years.”

Levi hums in response, glancing down to where Erwin’s hand finds his own, fingers touching, just barely.

“But,” Erwin continues, lacing his fingers with Levi’s, “I’m glad we are.”

Levi glances back up at him, and - not for the first time and certainly not the last - time seems to stand still again. His gray eyes are hard for Erwin to read, even now, but when he smiles, it does touch them. “Yeah,” he murmurs, “Me too.”


End file.
